Zee and &TV told to remove controversial content in its serials, which peddled the BJP govt’s pet schemes
Shruti Ganapatye (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 17, 2019)

Paying heed to complaints that two TV channels were giving publicity to the BJP government’s pet schemes through its shows, the Election Commission (EC) has asked Zee and & channels to remove the controversial content. It has also warned them against doing so in the future. Mumbai Mirror had earlier reported that the EC had issued show cause notices to the two channels after Congress alleged that BJP was using two serials, Tujhse Hai Raabta and Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai, to run its campaign, violating the code of conduct enforced for the Lok Sabha polls.

The order issued by the EC says, “The producers of the serials have been told to remove the content that would benefit a political party. Also ensure that this content will not be available on any social or electronic media. If there is any such content which is of the nature of advertisement, the producers should take prior certificate from the concerned authorities before airing it on television. The producers should strictly follow the model code of conduct and other rules of the EC.”

The characters in the two serials were seen praising the BJP government’s schemes like Ujjwala, Swachch Bharat Abhiyan and Mudra loan. In the show Bhabi Ji…, a character is shown holding forth on Swachchta (cleanliness) when another character litters on the road and praises the prime minister without naming him. In another scene, a wife educates her husband about the Ujjwala scheme on free LPG connections when her husband tells her that food cooked on chulha would taste better. In another serial, Tujhse… a character narrates how a loan of Rs 10 lakh can be availed under the Mudra scheme. Congress had taken objection to this and approached the EC. Congress had said it was just like paid news, as the viewers were not aware of the campaign while watching the serials.

The channels were given show cause notices and time to reply on the issue. “After reviewing the objectionable content and the explanation by the channels, it was found that it was a publicity for a particular party by praising the work of its leaders. This could influence voters in their constituency. Also, the content was not pre-certified. This content has violated the model code of conduct,” additional electoral officer Dilip Shinde said.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant welcomed the decision but demanded that the paid news angle should also be probed. “It is good that the action by the EC will prevent BJP from using TV serials as a medium of publicity for the election. But we want a further probe on the paid news angle. The candidates have to declare their expenditure to the EC for campaigning. So, who paid for these serials remains a big question,” Sawant said.

Zee and & TV, which is also part of the Zee group, did not respond to EC’s order. When the issue was first raised, a spokesperson had issued a statement saying that the mention of the government schemes was in public interest. 

Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai and Tujhse Hai Raabta had scenes where characters praised Swachch Bharat and Mudra Yojana; Show cause notices issued to Zee TV and its group channel &TV following complaint from Congress; channel claimed scenes in ‘public interest’ but silent on EC notice
Shruti Ganapatye (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 10, 2019)

The Election Commission has issued show cause notices to two television channels after Congress complained about the show peddling the government’s pet schemes through characters in TV serials. The EC has given Zee and &TV channels 24 hours to reply to the notices.

On Tuesday, Mumbai Mirror had reported on Congress’s complaint to the EC alleging violation of code of conduct by the BJP.

Congress had taken objection to characters in TV serials Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai and Tujhse Hai Raabta praising government schemes like Ujjwala, Swachch Bharat Abhiyan and Mudra loan, blaming the BJP for it. Congress had said it was just a version of paid news. The Congress welcomed the EC’s decision to slap show-cause notices to the channels and added that it was going to complain about another serial Tula Pahate Re on the Zee Marathi channel, for promoting the Make in India scheme.

In the show Bhabi Ji…, a character is shown holding forth on Swachchta (cleanliness) when another character litters on the road and praises the prime minister without naming him. In another scene, a wife educates her husband about the Ujjwala scheme on free LPG connections when her husband tells her that food cooked on chulha would taste better. In another serial, Tujhse… a character narrates how a loan of Rs 10 lakh can be availed under the Mudra scheme.

Additional Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, Dilip Shinde said, “We received a complaint that Zee TV and & TV were using their serials to campaign the Centre’s schemes and hence violating the model code of conduct. We have issued show cause notices to producers of the serials. They will have to reply in 24 hours. Further action will be taken after receiving their reply.”

Welcoming the EC’s move, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “It was a serious matter and the action by the EC was expected. The channels have brazenly violated the code of conduct. I had demanded that the channels should be suspended for the violation. The EC should also hold BJP responsible for running their campaign on the channels. It also shows how BJP is muzzling democracy and setting the wrong precedent. This trend is dangerous for the country. The party is using deceptive and illegal means to garner votes,” Sawant said.

A spokesperson of Zee group, of which &TV is a part, defended the content saying it was in “public interest”. “As a responsible national television network, ZEE has always created content basis its stringent content guidelines. The mention of certain government schemes and initiatives in some of the episodes of the television shows was a creative call taken purely in the interest of the public.” However, there was no reply by the channel after the show cause notice was issued late in the evening.