‘Democracy is Unimaginable Without Journalism’: MLA Roshan Lal Choudhary

BSPS’s 12th National Executive Meeting concludes in Patratu

Patratu (Ramgarh): The twelfth National Executive Meeting of the Bharati Shramjeevi Patrakar Sangh (BSPS) was held on May 1, in Patratu under the Ramgarh district. Participating in the event, Hazaribagh Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Jaiswal addressed the issues faced by journalists.

He said that the four main demands made would be heard by the government via his office, which would be restoration of the railway concessions as had been granted previously, exemption of road tolls, journalistic protection and health insurance, which he had no doubt would yield significant results.

He also promised the founder of the organization, Shahnawaz Hassan, that he would set up a meeting between a BSPS delegation and the Union Minister of Railways and Information and Broadcasting soon. He also pointed out that when the whole country knows about the high rate of stealing and looting of mineral resources that are going on in Jharkhand, it is only through the work of journalists and the journalism profession.

Meanwhile, Barkagaon Legislator Roshan Lal Choudhary thanked the participants and said that he was proud that this program was hosted in his own assembly constituency. He confirmed that he has never had a bad experience with journalists and that it is the concept of democracy that cannot be imagined without journalism.

Organized in the Alexa Resort, Patratu, the event was chaired by BSPS national president Ashok Pandey and anchored by the general secretary Naveen Anand Joshi and national secretary Chandan Mishra. Starting the session, Shahnawaz Hassan, the founder of BSPS and Jharkhand Journalist Association (JJA) greeted everyone and emphasized the goals of the union and its success so far. He pointed out that, when the journalistic fraternity stays together, the decisions that would be in their best interest are made and they will eventually enjoy the fruit

“We Are Also Responsible for Our Own Problems”: Ashok Pandey

While discussing the "crumbling Fourth Pillar" and the "struggling state of democracy," veteran journalist Ashok Pandey—the national president of BSPS and a former editor of various newspapers—acknowledged that the field of journalism faces numerous challenges. He asserted that the crisis facing journalism is inextricably linked to the crisis facing democracy itself.

He further noted that the Vedas—considered the most ancient scriptures—contain references to science and spirituality, and notably, they also feature discussions pertaining to the principles of journalism. Today, we ourselves are responsible for our problems.

Certain elements have infiltrated the field of journalism, causing the profession to fall into disrepute. He appealed to journalists to practice ethical journalism and to conduct their work with restraint.

**Demands presented to the MP**

Upon the arrival of Manish Jaiswal, the MP from Hazaribag, at the venue, journalists presented four specific demands. These included the restoration of railway concessions like those granted in the past exemption from road tolls, the enactment of a Journalist Protection Act, and the implementation of an insurance scheme applicable to all journalists.

***Several Decisions Taken at the BSPS Meeting**

During the twelfth National Executive Committee meeting of the BSPS, Shaileshwar Panda, the president of the West Bengal unit, was appointed as the national vice president of the BSPS.

Additionally, a decision was made to announce the new executive committees for the Jharkhand Journalists Association and the West Bengal unit soon. This announcement is to be made within one month by Girdhari Sharma, the organizing secretary and in-charge for West Bengal. Arun Saxena, the president of the Madhya Pradesh unit, was appointed as the in-charge for the expansion of the Rajasthan unit where he is required to submit his report by May 30.

Furthermore, Naveen Pandey and Girdhari Sharma were authorized to complete the expansion of the entire Bihar unit committee by May 30, as well as to oversee the expansion of the organization in Chandigarh, Haryana, and Punjab. Veerabhadra Rao was appointed as the in-charge for Telangana, Karnataka, Puducherry, and other southern Indian states, with Shaileshwar Panda providing him with assistance.

It was also decided that the National Executive Committee meeting would be held in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, during the month of July, while a three-day event would be organized in Lucknow during September.

**Journalists from Various States Share Their Views**

During the BSPS National Executive Committee meeting, journalists from various regions—including Madhya Pradesh President Arun Saxena, Rahul Karmakar (Assam), Ajay Kumar (Bihar), Shaileshwar Panda and Shubhendu Chatterjee (West Bengal), Veerabhadra Rao (Andhra Pradesh), Jayad Bajpai (Uttar Pradesh), Naveen Pandey (Uttarakhand), and Janamdev (Nepal)—expressed their views. Discussions were held regarding the facilities currently available to journalists in Madhya Pradesh, where it was noted that accredited journalists over the age of 60 receive an honorarium of  Rs 20,000 per month. A demand was subsequently raised to implement this scheme across all states. Large Gathering of Journalists

A significant number of journalists from various states across the country gathered at the event. In addition to founder Shahnawaz Hassan, the attendees included national president Ashok Pandey, general secretary Naveen Anand Joshi, organizing secretary Girdhar Sharma, treasurer S. Nasreen, secretary Chandan Mishra, JJA state president Sampurnanand Bharti, Madhya Pradesh president Arun Saxena, media in-charge Sanjeev Sameer, Assam president Rahul Karmakar, Bihar president Ajay Kumar, West Bengal president Shaileshwar Panda, Shubhendu Chatterjee, Andhra Pradesh president Veerabhadra Rao, Uttar Pradesh representative Zayad Bajpai, Naveen Pandey from Uttarakhand, and Janamdev Jaisi from Nepal.

They were joined by RK Joshi from Rajasthan, Raghavendra Mishra and Jagdish Saluja from Andhra Pradesh; and Naveen Pandey, Krishna Gupta, Pankaj Singh, Javed Islam, DK Rathore, Khalid Anwar, Kumar Ramesham, Anil Singh, Rahul Karmakar, Masoom Raza, Akash Soni, Subhashish Jha, Javed Ali, Naimullah, Sampada Buddha, Ranjit Pandey, Shrikant, Arjun Soni, Prabhakar Srivastava, Rakesh Singh, Masoom Ansari, Nitin Mishra, Vipin Nayak, and Ankit Singh, including Yakub Ali.