Kerala's former Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac has lashed out at the UDF government and the state GST Commissioner for the raid at Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC). Isaac has called it a media witch hunt with the intention of shutting down a media organisation.
"What are they investigating? What is the case?" asked Thomas Isaac during a media interaction on Friday. The reaction comes in the wake of an unprecedented raid carried out by the state police on September 16 at the RBC headquarters in Kalamassery that disrupted live broadcast operations.
Also read: Reporter TV MD Anto Augustine condemns police action against channel, alleges assault on press freedom
Isaac has urged the GST Commissioner to clarify the grounds on which they were investigating RBC. The senior CPM leader wonders what the purpose of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is, calling it a "fabricated case".
"Honestly, I haven't understood what the special investigation is going on against Reporter," Isaac said.
"A media organisation decides to bring a high-profile football team to Kerala, and fund it. They take permission from the Indian football authorities and the Reserve Bank. Has the government spent anything? Then what is there to investigate?
"The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has said they are not offering their service. So in the absence of a supply, how does GST apply? In that scenario, what is there to investigate?" Isaac said.
He said the investigation was on shaky grounds as the state has not incurred financial losses in connection with the Argentine team's proposed visit to Keralam. "If the football team doesn't come, they lose their money, but the state government has not lost anything," he said.