Margashirsha Shuklapaksha 13, Kaliyug Varsha 5115
Charan Das Mahant, Chhattisgarh State Congress chief
After Congress failed to influence the voters against the incumbent Raman Singh Government in Chhattisgarh, the party left no stones unturned to manipulate State’s media by offering the journalists cash gifts, a sensational Indian Express expose has revealed.
Two days before poll results Congress’s State unit in Chhattisgarh had allegedly offered cash rewards to ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 to about 100 journalists based in Raipur saying it was from the “party election fund”, a report claimed. The report further added that even an Indian Express reporter was among those offered the cash, on December 6.
At a time when the Election Commission had issued strict guidelines against paid news, the move had full approval of the party and was handled by a new media cell that was set up just before poll to ‘manage journalists’.
The cell, headed by State Congress general secretary and ex-MLA Ramesh Warlyani, made a list of Raipur-based journalists and earmarked amounts for each of them. Warlyani, who is said to be close to AICC treasurer Moti Lal Vora, is believed to have got funds from the party and offered it to the journalists, the report further said.
The list, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, has names of about 100 journalists, cameramen, photographers of almost all newspapers, TV channels and news agencies, Hindi and English, regional and national, operating in Raipur.
Source : Niti Central
