Representatives of the Alliance for Media Freedom (AFMF), led by its president N. Ram, called on Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday at the latter’s camp office in Chennai, and thanked him for announcing that all cases registered against media houses during the erstwhile AIADMK regime would be withdrawn.
A representation signed by them, along with the chairman of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Sashi Kumar, said: “The AFMF places its appreciation and gratitude to this announcement, which protects the freedom of expression, which is the undertone of a democracy.”
Senior journalists R. Bhagwan Singh and Nakkeeran Gopal; Network for Women in Media India’s (NWMI) Lakshmi Subramanian and Induja Ragunathan; and AFMF convenor Peer Mohamed accompanied Mr. Ram.
“If Tamil Nadu is leading the country in terms of education, medical facilities and social defence, the free press has had a major role to play in it. You [Mr. Stalin] have taken this good decision, as you have come from a political tradition that protects the freedom of the press. We are confident that the freedom of the press will be protected under your government,” the AFMF said in its representation.
Environmental activists, led by G. Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal, also called on Mr. Stalin, thanking him for announcing that cases against those involved in non-violent protests against neutrino project, the Sterlite plant and the hydrocarbon project, among others, would be withdrawn.
They also thanked the Chief Minister for urging the Prime Minister during a recent meeting to drop the Chennai-Salem eight-lane highway project and the neutrino and hydrocarbon projects.
