PRESS CLUB writes to Speaker Om Birla and Chairman Rajya Sabha for appointment for lifting ban on journalists and photojournalists covering Parliament
The Press Club of India including several other media organisations have been relentlessly struggling for restoration of the restrictions imposed on accredited journalists, photojournalists and video journalists covering parliamentary proceedings for decades imposed on them during the Covid 19 Budget session in 2020.
The Press Club of India and several media organisations are demanding restoration of restricted entry of journalists, photojournalists and cameramen in the press gallery and the parliament precincts.
Several letters and memorandums have already been sent to relevant authorities in this regard but of ( to) no avail.
The Press Club of India has written two separate letters to the Speaker Lok Sabha and Vice President/ Deputy chairman Rajya Sabha requesting to grant them audience / appointment in the form of a delegation to enable them interact on this pivotal issue and put their request for lifting ban on accredited journalists.
In the letters sent to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar signed by the PCI president Gautam Lahiri and Secretary General Neeraj Thakur while requesting for apointment it is said that in addition to the restrictions imposed on the accredited journalists , photojournalists and video journalists concerning parliament for several years, the permanent passes and Long distinguished ( L& D) catagory passes of journalists have also been cancelled. The letter added : With the World Health Organisation declaring the end of the pandemic on May 5, 2023 , we expected that full access to journalists and photojournalists would be restored . Unfortunately it wasn’t the case. Eagerly waiting for the response for appointment, the letter addressed to Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar states that having full faith in your commitment towards freedom of the Press we are sure that you will grant us a suitable time window for the meeting said the letter.
In a message on X the PCI wrote :The Press Club of India writes to the Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla @ombirlakota) and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar and sought their time for discussing issues of journalists and photo journalists pertaining to Parliamentary access. In another message in X , earlier twitter it said : Demanding for unrestricted media entry in the press gallery of both the Houses — the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha is a long-pending demand of the media fraternity.
