*The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday stepped up its attack on Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Markandey Katju, saying his remarks on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi "are unsolicited" and he "is free to voice any opinion but after relinquishing his position."
*"Justice Katju prefers slamming non-Congress governments and the fact is that he has been appointed by the government as PCI chairman and his salary and perks come from the government," said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
"He holds a quasi-judicial position and has made unsolicited remarks. Katju is free to voice any opinion but he has to surely relinquish his position as chairman of the PCI," he said.
Jaitley on Sunday accused Katju of partiality to the Congress and demanded his resignation, drawing a strong retort from the former Supreme Court justice.
Katju said Jaitley was distorting facts and asked him to quit politics. Jaitley, who is the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, accused Katju of attacking non-Congress governments in Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal on the basis of "his political preferences".
In an article on the BJP website, Jaitley said Katju's attacks "seem more in the nature of thanks-giving to those who provided him with a post-retirement job."
He said Katju had over the past week released a draft report on behalf of the PCI alleging that the media in Bihar was not independent. He followed it up with an article in an English daily attacking the Gujarat government and Narendra Modi. Katju, countering Jaitley's argument of targeting non-Congress chief ministers, said he had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan in November last year condemning the arrest of two girls from the state's Palghar town for criticising on Facebook the shutdown following Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death.
Katju said he had also written to Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, now Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, over his remarks to a cameraman during a campaign in the state assembly elections.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh came to Katju's defence. Singh said Katju had always been impartial and wondered whether Jaitley was reacting in this manner because he "owed" his Rajya Sabha seat to Modi. Reported by Deccan Herald 2 days ago.
*"Justice Katju prefers slamming non-Congress governments and the fact is that he has been appointed by the government as PCI chairman and his salary and perks come from the government," said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
"He holds a quasi-judicial position and has made unsolicited remarks. Katju is free to voice any opinion but he has to surely relinquish his position as chairman of the PCI," he said.
Jaitley on Sunday accused Katju of partiality to the Congress and demanded his resignation, drawing a strong retort from the former Supreme Court justice.
Katju said Jaitley was distorting facts and asked him to quit politics. Jaitley, who is the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, accused Katju of attacking non-Congress governments in Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal on the basis of "his political preferences".
In an article on the BJP website, Jaitley said Katju's attacks "seem more in the nature of thanks-giving to those who provided him with a post-retirement job."
He said Katju had over the past week released a draft report on behalf of the PCI alleging that the media in Bihar was not independent. He followed it up with an article in an English daily attacking the Gujarat government and Narendra Modi. Katju, countering Jaitley's argument of targeting non-Congress chief ministers, said he had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan in November last year condemning the arrest of two girls from the state's Palghar town for criticising on Facebook the shutdown following Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death.
Katju said he had also written to Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, now Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, over his remarks to a cameraman during a campaign in the state assembly elections.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh came to Katju's defence. Singh said Katju had always been impartial and wondered whether Jaitley was reacting in this manner because he "owed" his Rajya Sabha seat to Modi. Reported by Deccan Herald 2 days ago.