NEW DELHI: Rajiv Mishra, who was removed on 30 May night as Lok Sabha Television’s chief executive officer, has described the move as unconstitutional and an attack on the freedom of the press.
Mishra told indiantelevision.com that senior Congress leader and former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had already been appointed as pro-tem speaker and therefore Meira Kumar who was speaker in the fifteenth Lok Sabha had no right to remove him or make any other changes in Lok Sabha TV.
Kumar had removed him with immediate effect without citing any reasons for her action.
In a letter dated 30 May, Mishra was told: "The Speaker has limited the tenure of Rajiv Mishra as chief executive officer of LSTV till 31 May 2014."
Mishra alleged that his exit could be due to the channel flashing the news of Kumar having lost the Sasaram seat in Bihar’, a seat held by her and earlier by her father Jagjivan Ram for many terms.
"My colleagues told me that ‘Madam’ was angry that the channel ran the flash of her having lost the Sasaram seat," Mishra said.
Mishra said the action was mala fide as Kumar was only a caretaker Speaker of the lower house till the new house was sworn in.
The sixteenth LS meets from 4 to 12 June during which the new MPs will take oath. The new Speaker is expected to be elected on 6 June.
