Ban on NDTV: Country heading towards dictatorship, says Lalu  

Lucknow: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday attacked the BJP-led NDA government for one-day ban on NDTV India. Terming the government’s action action an attack on democracy, the RJD leader said the country is "heading towards dictatorship".

"Today you have seen what has happened to NDTV, they (government) said that you (channel) showed the Pathankot terror attack," Lalu said, addressing the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Samajwadi Party here.

"Ban on NDTV is an attack on democracy. This country is heading towards dictatorship," he stressed.

Lalu also said that since the NDTV channel "exposes certain people", it has been targeted by the government.

The RJD leader's remarks came after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the Hindi news channel to go off air from the midnight of November 8 to midnight of November 9 for allegedly breaching broadcast norms in its coverage of the January 2 terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot.

The RJD chief also asserted that there is no rift in the Samajwadi Party.

"There is no rift in the Samajwadi Party, and we gave proof by bringing Akhilesh Babu (Yadav) and Shivpal Babu (Singh Yadav) together on stage," he said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal, the SP state unit chief, are not on amicable terms.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lalu said, "We have seen the condition of Jammu and Kashmir for the last 100 days."

"Someone had told us about their '56-inch chest', but look what is happening at the (India-Pakistan) border now?" he said.

He also said that cross-border surgical strikes were first carried by the Indian Armed forces when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Defence Minister.

"They are claiming that they had carried out surgical strikes across the border, but they must know that the surgical strikes were first carried out by the forces when Mulayamji was the Defence Minister," Lalu said.

He also said that people were feeling betrayed for voting the BJP to power. Lalu said that once again the BJP was trying to fan communal passions, and was starting to rake up the Ram temple issue as state assembly polls had neared.

"Whenever elections come in Uttar Pradesh they remember Ram Mandir. And as elections are again due in the state, they are remembering Ram Temple to do politics over it," he added.

Reminding the BJP of having stopped its Rath Yatra in Bihar in 1990, Lalu said, "We have stopped their rath in Patna, Samastipur. And again we will unitedly stop them."

Lalu Prasad had stopped BJP leader L.K. Advani's "Rath Yatra" in Samastipur in Bihar when he was traversing across India to gather momentum to construct a temple in Ayodhya.

The former Bihar Chief Minister said that time had come for all secular parties to come together and oppose the BJP.

Lalu Prasad later called Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav near him and asked him to take his 'Rath Yatra' forward and ensure victory for his party. He also asked him to respect his elders and take their blessings.

IANS