Venkaiah Naidu asks media to be constructive'

Bengaluru: Stating that agenda of the country should be development, Union information and broadcasting minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday expressed unhappiness over “sensationalism getting prominence” over it in the news and asked media to be “constructive”.

“As a minister for information and broadcasting, I’m going to interact with media, with media owners, editors in the coming days, because the agenda of the country should be development,” he said.

Mr Naidu said people want development, they want good governance and that should be the headline, “any other information will be deadline not the headline”.

“Unfortunately in India obstruction is a news, destruction is a news and construction will not make news; sensationalism is news, things that have no sense are sensationalized and it becomes news,” he said.

Mr Naidu said he was not asking media not to criticise the government or the Prime Minister.

“What I’m pleading with the media is please be constructive. I’m not saying praise Modi, no you criticize Modi, but focus should be on development. Tell people Modi had said this, it has not happened or this much has happened and this much has not,” he added.

Mr Naidu who was relieved from Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and given I&B in addition to Urban Development Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation during recent cabinet rejig, was speaking at a felicitation meet organised on his election to Rajya Sabha for the fourth term. Quoting few development news stories published in news papers, he said such news will encourage development, while asking media to recognise the “merit”.

“Mindset of the people has to change, we want the support of the media for this,” he added.

Stating that focus should be on development and good governance, Mr Naidu said “election are fought on politics, ideologies and issues, but as far as the development is concerned Center, state and local bodies must work together, all political parties should join each other.