Wayanad disaster fund: CM Vijayan slams media's 'destructive journalism'

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 20 (IANS) After being slammed by the Congress and the BJP over last week’s media report regarding the Wayanad disaster memorandum submitted by Kerala to the Centre, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday broke his silence and slammed the media for practicing unethical journalism.

He even went to the extent of hinting that “one will have to consider seeking legal recourse.”

CM Vijayan who has been keeping away from the media for the last one month even though numerous controversial issues have been raging in the state, on Saturday spent a record 100 minutes, the first in his tenure starting 2016, to slam the media.

He spent one-and-a-half-hour criticising the media for allegedly portraying his government and the state in poor light.

“It was during Onam days that this wrong news on the memorandum of the state government surfaced, first in television channels and soon it was followed up by the print media. In a day, world over the news went around stating that the state government gave exaggerated and false statements to the Centre and it got traction in the social media also,” said Vijayan.

“After the media barrage, we came out with a statement on the facts but it did not get the due importance. A criminal agenda appears to be behind this fake news. This is not ethical journalism instead this is a criminal act by those who did this engaging in destructive journalism. Am not saying all, but a section went on, while some corrected their wrong, that was good,” said Vijayan.

He pointed out that the role of journalism is to strengthen democracy but some are hell-bent on creating fake news.

“This was to portray the state government in poor light and in the bargain created problems in the civil society who was contributing freely to the CMDRF. The memorandum on the Wayanad disaster is based on Central guidelines. Kerala submitted its memorandum but the media took a negative and criminal position to come out with fake news,” said Vijayan.

“Memorandums are not prepared by state ministers but trained professionals and are made using certain norms and standards. Actuals in the memorandum were wrongly taken by the media as money spent by the state government,” said Vijayan.

He further lamented that the face of journalism has changed and now it’s done to destroy Kerala and people of Kerala have to discuss this.

Vijayan said it was baffling to note that there has been no action on the part of the Centre as nothing has come, despite the passing of time.

The worst-ever disaster in the state took place on July 30 which washed away four villages in Wayanad district leaving around 400 dead and more than 90 missing.