Thiruvananthapuram: Sabha TV, the official television channel of the Kerala assembly, would here on telecast protests held by opposition parties besides the usual proceedings in the state assembly, said speaker A N Shamseer.
The upcoming legislative session scheduled on August 7 will have expanded coverage of protests on various issues.
Earlier, the leader of the opposition V D Satheesan, in a letter to the speaker, demanded the proper telecast of opposition parties' protests by the Sabha TV.
The speaker assured that the demand of the opposition leader would be actively considered and that arrangements would be made so that the public could watch the live happenings in the assembly, including the protests by the opposition.
The 12-day Assembly session, mainly held to discuss and promulgate ordinances, will conclude on August 24. The Assembly will pay homage to Oommen Chandy, the former Chief Minister, and a legislator for 53 years, and Vakkom Purushothaman, former speaker, before winding up for the first day.
The Business Advisory Committee will suggest the various bills to be taken up for discussion in the session. A special cabinet meeting will also be held on the first day to decide on the new bills to be presented in the legislative assembly session. The cabinet meeting held on Wednesday gave approval to the draft bills replacing various existing ordinances. The cabinet meeting will decide on new bills after the Business Advisory Committee meeting on August 7.
Remove media ban: Satheesan
In the letter, Opposition leader Satheesan demanded that the media ban in the Assembly be lifted and the functioning of Sabha TV “for the ruling party” be stopped.
"It is undemocratic that the restrictions on the media have not been lifted despite the withdrawal of Covid-19 restrictions. Sabha TV cannot be allowed to function as the Government's own channel by completely avoiding Opposition protests. This has been brought to the notice of the Government and Speaker several times through letters and within the Assembly", he pointed out.
The proceedings are being telecast in the Kerala Legislative assembly in accordance with the guidelines issued by the speaker on June 22, 1994, in the Lok Sabha. The guidelines, amended in 2005, have made it clear that the broadcast of Lok Sabha proceedings should be a true reflection of what is happening in the House, including trooping to the well of the house, walking out, and shouting in the House. They also state that the camera should focus on the place where a ruckus takes place in the House. However, with the launch of Sabha TV, the media has been completely excluded from the Assembly, Satheesan said.
In the letter, Satheesan demanded the speaker's immediate intervention to lift the 'fascist and anti-democratic' media ban and set right the functioning of the Sabha TV, which has 'violated all limits of parliamentary democracy'.
