Punjab Kesari Group row: CM Saini says Haryana govt always stood firmly with free press

Chandigarh, Jan 18 (PTI) Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday said the Haryana government always stood firmly with a free press as he came out in support of the Punjab Kesari group that has written to the AAP dispensation in Punjab, alleging it was being targeted with multiple raids by enforcement authorities.

Addressing a 'Ramleela Samiti Samman Samaroh' in Jalandhar, Saini praised the impartial journalism of the Punjab Kesari group during the days of insurgency in the border state and said that it has for decades devoted itself to upholding truth, fearlessness, and ethical values.

The newspaper group wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann last Thursday, alleging that it was being targeted with multiple raids by enforcement authorities, events that, it claimed, began with a "balanced and fair" news report on opposition allegations against the ruling AAP's national convenor.

The group alleged these raids targeted it and its associate concerns "with an extraneous motive to intimidate the press". The Punjab government issued an official statement that evening, categorically rejecting the Punjab Kesari group's allegations.

On Sunday, a Punjab BJP delegation met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh, accusing the AAP government of "targeting" media houses, and urged him to direct CM Mann to let the media work freely.

At the event in Jalandhar, CM Saini said, "The Haryana government always stood firmly with a free press. In a democracy, the media is the fourth pillar, and it is a grave mistake for anyone to think that they can intimidate a media institution, because truth can never be suppressed." "We must remember the time when Punjab was passing through the dark phase of militancy, when fear was so pervasive that people hesitated to even step out of their homes.

"Yet history bears witness that even then, this group did not stop. Great martyrs Lala Jagat and Romesh Chandra Chopra ji sacrificed their lives for the unity of the nation, but never bowed before violence," he said.

At the 'Ramleela Samiti Samman Samaroh', the Haryana chief minister said that just as Ravan's arrogance was shattered, forces that trouble truth will also be defeated.

He told the Punjab Kesari Group's Editor-in-Chief Vijay Kumar Chopra that "in this fight against those who seek to suppress the voice of the media, you are not alone. Keep writing, remain steadfast, because your pen is the strongest shield of democracy." Saini also appreciated the social service initiatives undertaken by the Punjab Kesari group, and said that for the past 26 years, it has been sending relief material to border areas.

On the occasion, Saini honoured office-bearers, artists, and other social workers from various Ramleela committees of Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh.

He said, "Ramleela is not merely a stage performance; it is the essence of our culture. Ramleela teaches future generations that no matter how powerful the evil forces may appear, righteousness and truth always prevail." PTI SUN VSD NSD NSD