The Opposition parties comprising the Congress-led United Democratic Front(UDF) and the BJP rubbed their hands in glee when they accessed what they thought was a potent weapon to belabour the beleaguered Government.

But by taking action with lightening speed, the LDF Government took the wind out of the opposition sails.

The issue in focus was the resignation by Transport Minister A K Saseendran belonging to the NCP hours after a newly-started Malayalam TV channel aired an audio clip of the minister allegedly having a lewd conversation with a woman on phone.

The Minister, who promptly put in his papers, however denied the charges. “I am resigning to uphold morality in politics which my party and the LDF have always striven to uphold.

The Chief Minister also quickly accepted the resignation, adding that he himself would handle the Transport portfolio for the time being.

Needless to say, the swift action by the CM prevented the opposition from extracting any political mileage from the issue. A commission headed by a retired judge will probe the issue and submit its report within three months. Simultaneously, the police will also conduct an inquiry into the episode.

The sordid episode, which has been dubbed as an attempt to discredit the LDF Government, has taken a new turn with the TV channel admitting its error in airing the audio clip without making adequate preparations!

The admission comes after strong condemnation of the entire episode by top cultural leaders. Incidentally, it was the inaugural effort of the newly-formed channel. The very first attempt having gone awry, the channel and its owners have ended up with egg on their faces. It may be mentioned that Mangalam, along with Malayala Manorama, is known for its anti-left stance.

That the entire episode has left a trail of bitterness in its trail is only to state the obvious. The incident also highlights the need for TV channels in particular to exercise greater care and vigil before telecasting controversial audio clips involving top political leaders.

Besides being a blatant invasion of privacy, the manner in which the channel manufactured the news constitutes a perversion of media freedom aimed at attracting attention.

The episode has also touched off a lively debate on the desirability of such efforts at ‘breaking news’ aimed at what a leading newspaper called cheap TRP-mongering.

Legal experts are sharply divided on whether a case can be registered against minister in the absence of a formal complaint from the woman involved – an aspect which reinforced doubts about the authenticity of the audio clip. The subsequent admission by the channel that it was not a housewife with whom the minister was having an intimate talk but the thing was a ‘sting operation’ by a woman journalist is self-explanatory!

In hindsight, it must be admitted that this was a classic case of what journalism should not be about. That said, the minister should also have been more careful in his dealings with the public, especially women. (IPA Service)