Media inciting rapes: Mamata Banerjee

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Launching a scathing attack against the media, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday said that they were manufacturing news by paying money to certain people in order to boost their business.

She also made the outrageous allegation that the media was inciting rapes and suicides.

“Today, the media is run as a business house which tells its reporters to go all out to do anti-establishment stories and spread canards. They pay experts between Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00000 to indulge in government-bashing,” she added. Ms Banerjee was addressing the first Yuva state convention at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Of late, there had been a spate of rapes, molestations and other crimes against women. Instead of being perturbed by them, Ms Banerjee is outraged by their extensive converage in the media — both electronic and print.

It is not the first time that she had accused the media of fabricating news of rapes. In the Park Street and Katwa rape cases, she had similarly accused the media for defaming her government.

Going on an offensive against media houses, she said that only because they had news channels it did not give them the power to incite rapes and suicides.

“Do not try to sow the seeds of crimes in the minds of the people. This is a criminal offence,” she added. Ms Banerjee went so far as to warn that police would lodge cases against them if the media continued to disseminate concocted and doctored news. She said it was challenge for her to remove the Left Front from power after its 34 year long rule.

“Those who are trying to bring back the CPI(M) will not be forgiven by the people,” she warned.

She advised the media to do some soul-searching. “Look at your own face in the mirror... There is a limit, a boundary and jurisdiction. Don’t cross it.”