New Delhi : Sixty members of the Rajya Sabha belonging to all parties on Wednesday moved a breach of privilege motion against the newspaper, DNA, and the weekly magazine, Tehelka, for publishing “malicious and motivated” reports on April 6 and 8 respectively on Rajya Sabha TV and questioning the relevance of spending a huge amount of public money to run it. But the motion was not immediately referred to the privilege committee because Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu sought caution since there should be no encroachment on the freedom of the press.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said he would examine all aspects before taking any decision. The issue was brought into focus by Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, stressing that the newspapers cannot be allowed to go scot-free after making tirades full of ‘falsehoods’. He cited false allegations such as Rs.1,700 cr being spent on RSTV in four years, when audited accounts show only Rs.146.83 cr being actually spent.
