Dear Editor,
Prasar Bharati should abolish the practice of giving free air-time to political parties on Doordarshan and All India Radio during the election season. The practice started in an era when only these two public broadcasters existed, with no private television channels and radio network.
The arrangement has lost its relevance because political parties can now afford to spend lots of money in election campaigns on private news channels and other modes of effective communication.
Otherwise also, since political parties are not complying with the full-Bench verdict of the Central Information Commission holding them under the purview of the Right to Information Act, it is senseless to provide such indirect government-funding to political parties in the form of precious time on Doordarshan and AIR.
Madhu Agrawal
Delhi