WHAT is the rationale behind having two TV channels of Parliament? This
is a puzzle to be solved by parliamentarians. Both Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha
TV are managed under the active supervision of Speaker and Vice-President of
India who is ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Both TV channels have
remained in controversy for one reason or the other since inception. The beauty
of both TV channels is that the administrative set-up is not burdened with
earning revenue as the resources of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are at their
disposal. So the administrative setup has a lacklustre attitude towards
managing the affairs of these channels. The latest controversy is about Rajya
Sabha TV’s CEO, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who also happens to be the
editor-in-chief of RSTV. This non-IAS officer wants a complete overhaul of the
content and look-and-feel of RSTV. This has ruffled Naidu’s feathers. The buzz
is that Naidu wants his favourite Dr I V Subba Rao, a retired IAS officer
currently serving the VP in his secretariat, as the new editor-in-chief. Meanwhile
the PMO itself has recently started jockeying for full control of RSTV. And
this triangular contest is the reason that RSTV could not send its team for
coverage of the Gujarat polls. It had been decided earlier that the channel
would send at least three to four camera teams for covering the polls. But the
Shashi Shekhar-Subba Rao tussle ensured that the teams could not finally go.
And now the Prime Minister’s office is keeping watch on the channel after
completely taking control of Lok Sabha TV.
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