The BJP, on Saturday, distanced itself from the views expressed by the minister of state for consumer affairs Liladhar Vaghela that the Gujarat government was considering to bring the press under the purview of Consumer Protection Act. The party said that there was no such proposal and it was his personal remark. Vaghela had reportedly told the assembly on Friday that his department was exploring the possibility of placing the press under relevant sections of the Consumer Protection Act to provide an opportunity to the readers to move consumer courts if they felt wronged by newspaper reports. BJP vice president and in-charge of party affairs in Gujarat Madan Lal Khurana said in Gandhinagar on Saturday that neither the BJP nor the state government had any proposal to bring the press under the Consumer Protection Act. Someone had written a letter to the minister seeking some curbs on the press for distorting the news and the need to bring it under the consumer protection act. Therefore, Vaghela has made some observations in his personal capacity. They have nothing to do with the BJP or the government of Gujarat, he said.
Bureau Report