Kharge Alleges Decline in Press Freedom, Says Independent Journalism Being 'Targeted Relentlessly'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised the BJP-RSS over press freedom, saying their message is clear: independent journalism will be punished, and compliance rewarded.

He alleged that sections of the media have been reduced to echoing the ruling establishment, while those who continue to ask questions are "targeted relentlessly".

In a post on X on World Press Freedom Day, Kharge said India’s position in the World Press Freedom Index has steadily declined since 2014 and claimed that the Sangh Parivar has increasingly "weaponised" legal frameworks to silence newsrooms.

Kharge said the country must confront what he described as a stark reality — that since 2014, India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen to 157th place under the BJP government.

"A free press, in its truest sense, does not exist to amplify the government's narrative or conceal its failures. It exists to question authority, to scrutinise power, and to hold those in office accountable," the Congress chief said on X.

Kharge said the media plays a crucial role in preserving the democratic balance between power and the people.

"Journalists are the custodians of public truth. As Pandit Nehru had said, 'The freedom of the Press is not just a slogan but an essential attribute of the democratic process.' That essential attribute stands gravely compromised under the present regime," Kharge alleged.

"The Sangh Parivar has increasingly weaponised legal frameworks to silence newsrooms. Defamation laws, national security provisions, and sweeping criminal statutes are deployed not as instruments of justice, but as tools of intimidation," he said.

Between 2014 and 2020, over 135 journalists were arrested, detained or interrogated, he claimed, adding that 36 journalists were imprisoned between 2014 and 2023.

He said the scale of such action has increased, with several journalists booked under stringent laws such as the UAPA.

"At the same time, a far more disturbing pattern has emerged, one of violence and impunity. Journalists are being murdered in BJP-ruled states for doing their job," he alleged.

"Raghvendra Bajpai in Uttar Pradesh, Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh, Rajeev Pratap Singh in Uttarakhand, and Dharmendra Singh Chauhan in Haryana, each of them was reporting on corruption and issues of public interest. Today, they stand as grim reminders of the cost of speaking truth to power," he said.

Kharge further alleged that the BJP-RSS government is now seeking to tighten its control over social media in an attempt to silence dissent.

"The message of the BJP-RSS is clear: independent journalism will be punished, and compliance will be rewarded. Sections of the media have been reduced to echoing the ruling establishment, while those who persist in asking questions are targeted relentlessly," he alleged.

As the country observes World Press Freedom Day, Kharge called for introspection by all stakeholders.

He said those in power must uphold established democratic norms at all times.

"Any deviation from these principles, if allowed to persist over time, risks becoming normalised and even accepted, causing lasting damage to democratic norms, values, institutions, and the people they serve," he said.

The government of the day must, therefore, hold itself to the highest possible standards, Kharge asserted.

(with PTI inputs)