Vijayendra slams Govt. for targeting ‘Star of Mysore’ and ‘Mysuru Mithra’

Mysuru: State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra has expressed outrage on social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) over the State Government’s discrimination in providing Government advertisements to ‘Star of Mysore’ and its sister publication ‘Mysuru Mithra’.

In his post, Vijayendra emphasised that ‘Star of Mysore’ and ‘Mysuru Mithra’ have a long-standing history in Mysuru, serving as guardians of the city’s rich heritage while maintaining their                        journalistic integrity.

These publications, with their vast readership, have been pivotal in exposing the MUDA land scam, which gained national attention. Additionally, they have consistently highlighted local issues and the Government’s mismanagement and anti-people governance, providing transparent reporting to the public, he posted.

“The Congress Government, already entangled in numerous scandals, has reportedly retaliated against these newspapers by imposing an unofficial ban on releasing Government advertisements to them. In a democratic system, the Government should prioritise and display the maturity to accept media criticism and reports without bias, and with a reflective, introspective attitude,” Vijayendra said.

Dark days of Emergency

“Expecting only positive reports that praise the Government while viewing critical coverage with hostility does not reflect a healthy mindset. Instead, it sends a troubling signal of authoritarianism. The Congress Government, still behaving as though it hasn’t moved past the dark days of the Emergency, is casting a crooked eye on the media that dares to expose the State’s illegalities and irregularities,” he posted.

“The CM, who holds the Information and Publicity Department under his direct control, must explain how justifiable it is for his Government to wield the power of advertisements against these newspapers in his own home district. Failing to address this will send a clear message to the entire media community that exposing MUDA-like scams will directly lead to Governmental retaliation,” he said.

In his post, Vijayendra included screenshots of ‘Star of Mysore’ and ‘Mysuru Mithra’ featuring reports on the MUDA scam and has tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J.P. Nadda. Within hours of the post, it garnered 1,981 views, 26 reposts, 3 comments and 66 likes.