BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 23rd February 2024: The Agartala Press Club has expressed its strong objection to the state government’s Information and Cultural Affairs Department’s decision to select the journalists who will be honored on National Press Day, without consulting the club’s management committee.
The club’s president, Jayanta Bhattacharya, said at a press conference on Friday that the club, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has always been involved in proposing the names of the journalists who deserve recognition on this occasion.
He said that every year on November 16, the club and the Information Office jointly organize the National Press Day event, but this year, the club was excluded from the honor committee for the first time.
He alleged that some senior officials of the state government and some self-serving individuals were behind this decision, and that they were using the name of the Chief Minister, Dr. Manik Saha, to justify their actions.
He said that the club respects the Chief Minister, who has been supportive of the club’s activities and the freedom of the press, and that the club will convey its displeasure to him.
He demanded that the honor committee be dissolved immediately and that the club be given its due role in the selection process.