Telegraph workers retrenched - emergence of Monopoly Capital in Media and Press danger to Democracy.
Telegraph workers retrenched - emergence of Monopoly Capital in Media and Press danger to Democracy.
Aurobindo Ghose
Strongly condemn the retrenchment on 7th February, 2017 with only 2 hours notice, of about 750 workers, journalists and reporters of Ananda Bazar Patrika group of newspapers of Kolkata. Express solidarity with the retrenched workers and journalists and their affected families.
This was first reported in December, 2016, but the news was systematically suppressed. It is learnt that The Telegraph and its associated newspapers are being taken over by a powerful business group.
It is also learnt that Reliance-Mukesh Ambani group is taking over the ownership of India's perhaps biggest newspaper and a sentinel of the freedom struggle, The Hindustan Times from the 1st of April, 2017. Already Ambani is the owner of many of the TV channels including CNN-IBN.
The strengthening of Monopoly Capital in the newspaper industry and media in general, is a great threat to the Freedom of the Press and to the weakening of Democracy itself. This will only hasten the spread of Corporate-Communal Fascism in the country which has already reared its ugly head.. This is the time to give an urgent clarion call for a movement to bring about the control of Monopoly Capital. Unfettered growth of industrial monopoly in the whole of industry, media, Press, transport, telecommunications, power generation and financial institutions is a great Danger to Indian Democracy. It needs to be curbed urgently with all the peoples' might...
