Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Sunday said he has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to lift COVID restrictions on presspersons covering Parliament.
In a post on X, he shared a copy of his letter written to Mr. Birla on June 27.
“Wrote to Hon @loksabhaspeaker to lift Covid restrictions on journalists covering Parliament. Established journalists are being restricted in the name of curbs. It’s time to restore media access and give them their rightful place,” Mr. Tagore said in the post.
In the letter to Mr. Birla, he said that several presspersons, many of whom have been covering Parliament for over a decade, are facing restrictions in the name of COVID-19 protocols.
"Preventing them from accessing Parliament not only hampers their professional duties but also restricts the flow of accurate information to the public. In the interest of preserving the democratic ethos of our nation, it is imperative that all accredited reporters be allowed to cover the proceedings without any hindrance," the Congress MP said in the letter.
"I urge you to kindly reconsider the current restrictions and allow full access to all accredited journalists. Such a move will reinforce our commitment to a free press and ensure that our democracy remains robust and transparent," Mr. Tagore added.
