Yogi's media fiasco shows BJP wants journalists to remain 'silent listeners': Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government and administration were targeting an "honest woman journalist" for attempting to question Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at a press conference.

In a post in Hindi on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that the BJP wanted journalists to remain "silent listeners" and said journalism that challenged "authoritarianism and cronyism" could not be suppressed.

"The Uttar Pradesh BJP's government and administration, which pose a challenge to both 'Nari Vandan' and 'independent journalism', have gone after the life of an honest woman journalist simply because she wanted to ask the chief minister a question," Yadav said.

He alleged that the BJP wanted to turn journalists into mute listeners and urged journalists' organisations and the Women's Commission to take cognisance of the matter.

"The voice of courageous journalism that challenges authoritarianism and cronyism can no longer be suppressed," Yadav said, describing the alleged incident as "highly condemnable".

Journalist Divya Srivastava told a news channel that she had attempted to question Adityanath and was subsequently surrounded at the BJP office.

"I was surrounded at the BJP office, threatened repeatedly and told that a bulldozer would be sent to my house," she said.

Srivastava also claimed that the channel where she worked had removed her following the incident.

"I am nowhere now. I am very scared," she said.

The journalist, who was seen in tears while speaking to the channel, also alleged that "the BJP trolls" were making indecent comments against her.

Yadav's remarks came a day after he criticised the format of press conferences under the BJP government, saying they had become a "monologue" rather than a dialogue.

On Saturday, he said that if journalists were expected only to listen to statements and were not allowed to ask questions, such events should be called "press monologues" instead of press conferences.

Adityanath had addressed a press conference at the BJP's state headquarters on Saturday along with state BJP chief and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.

The leaders announced the month-long "Seva Sankalp Abhiyan", scheduled from September 17 to October 17, to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public service.

Yadav also shared a video on X that purportedly shows Srivastava attempting to question Adityanath as the chief minister was leaving the press conference.

In the video, the journalist is purportedly seen explaining her position and saying that she had also questioned opposition parties.