Udhayanidhi Stalin Slams Blackout of Chennai Assembly Live Stream
In Chennai, Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday accused the government of blacking out the Legislative Assembly's live-stream proceedings and selectively releasing edited videos. In a letter addressed to Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar, Stalin alleged that the move violated democratic principles, silenced opposition voices, and restricted media access to the house.
Stalin stated that debates on the governor's address were completely blacked out from the live telecast. Instead of streaming the session live, the government allegedly edited and released videos that only featured ministers from the ruling TVK party, while omitting the remarks of opposition members.
According to the opposition leader, the government failed to uphold a promise made by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to continue the live telecast of Assembly proceedings. Stalin noted the irony of the situation, pointing out that on the very day Minister Rajmohan praised the resumption of live-streaming as a symbol of transparency and democracy, the telecast was discontinued.
While discussions on a resolution opposing the proposed Mekedatu dam were streamed live on Friday, Stalin pointed out that the feed was cut immediately after that specific debate. He claimed that opposition speeches were completely suppressed, with only the videos desired by the ruling party being published later.
The former deputy chief minister questioned the ruling TVK party's political stance, asking if silencing elected legislators was the "change" they had promised the public during the election. He further accused the government of displaying fascist tendencies by refusing to provide information to the media and insisting that only government-approved content be broadcast.
Stalin urged Speaker Prabhakar to intervene and restore the live telecasts before Monday's proceedings, when opposition leaders are scheduled to participate in the debate. He warned that if assembly proceedings are not shown to the people, the very purpose of convening the house is defeated.
