Following the massive thrashing faced by the Janata Dal (Secular) in the 2019 Lok Sabha election where even party patron and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda lost to the BJP from the Tumkur electorate, the party working president issued a gag order on its spokesperson from engaging with media outlets and giving comments to television channels as they allege the party’s comments are being ‘twisted’.

The JD(S) working president issued circular asking party spokespersons to not give any TV interviews and that they shouldn’t participate in any television debates. The workers have been ordered to maintain distance when it comes to giving any public statements as their ‘comments are being twisted’ by local media TV channels.

Deve Gowda’s family managed to secure only one seat in Karnataka after one of his grandsons, Prajwal Revanna, won from the Hassan constituency. Prajwal won the constituency from where his father HD Revanna is also an MLA. HD Revanna is a minister in the Kumaraswamy cabinet.

Addressing a gathering in his home state, HDK (as he is popularly known) said that his government is mulling over formulating a law so that “there is some control on irresponsible reporting”.

“Every day, people come to me with various problems and I try and help them. The media does not want to highlight people’s woes, including the severe drought across the state... Instead, it wants to focus on sensational false stories. Do you think the government will keep quiet? The government is mulling over a law so that there is some control on irresponsible reporting,” a livid Kumaraswamy said.

 Last week, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had announced a fierce crackdown on television media and journalists in his state after he alleged that there is “irresponsible reporting” in his name.

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