Kochi:
Information and Broadcasting Union Minister Anurag Thakur took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, saying India’s democratic pillars or structures remain intact and will stand the test of time regardless of “illogical opinions”. Spread freely in the country and in foreign countries.
Borrowing the phrase “Facts are sacred and opinions are free,” the Union Minister said, “The democratic fabric of our great nation will always remain the same. No matter how unfounded and illogical some opinions may be at home and abroad. Abroad, we democracy will stand the test of time.”
Regarding the defamation of Indian democracy and media freedom by Congressman Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to the UK, Thakur said, “The word ‘democracy’ is widely used in public discourse these days. It is a time-honored tradition in India. India and the rest of the free world have been reduced to a fashion statement by those who are constantly trying to weaken our democracy and institutions. Law breakers are now pretending to be victims.”
“We must remember that unlike Western countries, democracy is not an artificial implant in India. It is an integral part of the history of our civilization,” he said.
The minister noted that the emergence of new technologies offered unique opportunities to break down barriers, but said, “the danger of ‘digital colonialism’ lurks on platforms run by algorithms coded offshore behind transparent walls.”
“We must be careful not to accept anything in the name of innovation and modernity,” he said, adding that “foreign publications, companies and organizations with inherent anti-India bias and peddling misrepresentations must be identified and called out”
“It is here that the Indian media, which understands the basic reality, will have to play a key role,” Thakur said.
The Union minister was speaking at the farewell ceremony of Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi’s centennial celebration in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other dignitaries.
The Union minister urged the media to be cautious and said they must stop giving space to such voices and narratives that could threaten India’s integrity, whether intentionally or not.
“Such heinous attacks weaken democracy and its institutions,” Thakur said of the recent attack and looting of the offices and studios of a prominent news agency in Kerala state.
(Aside from the title, this story is unedited by NDTV staff and published via a syndicated feed.)
