एनयूजे में भी विवाद गहराया

(शनिवार /16 अक्टूबर 2010 / दीपक खोखर /रोहतक )

- प्रधान व महासचिव पर निशाना साधा

- राष्ट्रीय उपाध्यक्ष वं दिल्ली जर्नलिस्ट्स एसोसिएशन के प्रधान का खुला पत्र

-प्रधान व महासचिव से इस्तीफा दिए जाने की मांग की

नेशनल यूनियन ऑफ जर्नलिस्ट्स यानि एनयूजे भी विवादों के घेरे में है। यूनियन के दो वरिष्ठ पदाधिकारियों ने प्रधान पीके राय और महासचिव आत्मदीप की कार्यशैली पर सवाल उठाया है। यूनियन के राष्ट्रीय उपाध्यक्ष रासबिहारी एवं दिल्ली जर्नलिस्ट्स एसोसिएशन के प्रधान मनोज वर्मा ने विभिन्न मुद्दों का जिक्र करते हुए एनयूजे के सभी सदस्यों के नाम खुला पत्र लिखा है। इन दोनों पदाधिकारियों ने यूनियन में चल रहे घटनाक्रम पर अपनी चिंता जताई है। एनयूजे देश के बड़े पत्रकार संगठनों में से एक है और इससे विभिन्न राज्यों की पत्रकार इकाइयां जुड़ी हुई हैं।

यूनियन के ऑफिस सेक्रेटरी दिनेश कुमार यादव ने रासबिहारी और मनोज वर्मा के निर्देश पर यह पत्र जारी किया है। इस पत्र में सिलसिलेवार 17 बिंदुओं का जिक्र किया गया है। सर्वप्रथम इसमें यूनियन के चुनाव स्थगित होने पर सवाल उठाया गया है। यूनियन के चुनाव मार्च 2010 में होने थे, लेकिन यह स्थगित कर दिए गए हैं। जून 2010 में हुई राष्ट्रीय कार्यकारिणी की बैठक में प्रधान व महासचिव ने चुनाव कराने के लिए तीन माह का समय मांगा था। उन्होंने इस संबंध में सभी राज्यों की इकाइयों को नोटिस भी जारी कर दिया था, लेकिन अब एकाएक चुनाव स्थगित कर दिया गया है। गौरतलब है कि मार्च 2008 में हैदराबाद में हुए राष्ट्रीय अधिवेशन में उपरोक्त को प्रधान व महासचिव चुना गया था। यूनियन के राष्ट्रीय उपाध्यक्ष एवं दिल्ली जर्नलिस्ट्स एसोसिएशन के प्रधान का कहना है कि प्रधान व महासचिव ने अपने ढाई साल के कार्यकाल में विभाजन की राजनीति ही की। वहीं, एनयूजे के खाते में एक रूपए का भी इजाफा नहीं किया, उल्टे एक लाख रूपए अधिक खर्च कर दिए। वर्तमान में एनयूजे के खाते में एक भी पैसा नहीं है। एनयूजे इस समय राजनीति पार्टी की तरह चलाई जा रही है। इन सबके अलावा एनयूजे के मुखपत्र इंकवर्ल्ड और एनयूजे स्कूल ऑफ जर्नलिज्म की ओर भी कोई ध्यान नहीं दिया जा रहा है।

प्रैस काउंसिल में नामांकन मंे भी धोखाधड़ी हुई

एनयूजे के राष्ट्रीय उपाध्यक्ष रासबिहारी एवं दिल्ली जर्नलिस्ट्स एसोसिएशन के प्रधान मनोज वर्मा का कहना है कि इसी प्रकार प्रैस काउंसिल में नामांकन दाखिल करने में भी धोखा किया गया है। काउंसिल की ओर से प्रधान पीके राय को नामांकन संबंधित पत्र समय पर मिल गया था, लेकिन उन्होंने इस संबंध में किसी को जानकारी नहीं दी। राय ने आईएफजे की ओर से प्रायोजित स्पेन की यात्रा पर निकलने से 24 घंटे पहले दिल्ली आफिस को पत्र भेजा। वहीं, महासचिव आत्मदीप ने किसी को विश्वास मेें नहीं लिया और यूनियन के राष्ट्रीय सचिव भूपेंद्र धर्माणी को कुछ निर्देशों के साथ नामांकन दाखिल करने के लिए सिरसा से दिल्ली आने को कहा। इस बीच रासबिहारी एनयूजे के ऑफिस पहुंचे और मिस्टर गंगवार और हर्षवर्धन से इस संबंध ड्राफ्ट तैयार करने में मदद मांगी क्योंकि वह नामांकन दाखिल करने का अंतिम दिन था। लेकिन भूपेंद्र धर्माणी के दिमाग में पहले से ही कुछ था। इसी के चलते उन्होंने बिना विचार-विमर्श किए ही नामांकन दाखिल कर दिया और इसका नतीजा यह रहा कि एनयूजे के इतिहास में पहली बार प्रैस काउंसिल ने नामांकन रद्द कर दिया।

विदेशी दौरों पर भी सवाल उठाया

एनयूजे के विदेशी दौरों पर भी सवाल उठाया गया है। इसमें कहा गया है कि आईएफजे की कांफ्रेंस में जाने के लिए अब कोई विचार-विमर्श नहीं किया जाता। पीके राय जिसे चाहते हैं, उसे ही भेज देते हैं और यही अशोक मलिक के संबंध में हुआ, जो इंडोनेशिया के दौरे पर गए। वहीं, महासचिव आत्मदीप खुद हांगकांग की यात्रा पर गए।

प्रधान व महासचिव ने इस्तीफा मांगा

राष्ट्रीय उपाध्यक्ष रासबिहारी एवं दिल्ली जर्नलिस्ट्स एसोसिएशन के प्रधान मनोज वर्मा ने प्रधान व महासचिव से इस्तीफा दिए जाने की मांग की है। उनका कहना है कि पीके राय और आत्मदीप का कार्यकाल 30 सितंबर 2010 को खत्म हो चुका है। ऐसे में उन दोनों को इस्तीफा दे देना चाहिए और तुरंत ही तदर्थ कमेटी का गठन हो ताकि चुनाव कराए जा सकें। रासबिहारी व मनोज वर्मा का कहना है कि यह भी खुलासा हुआ है कि प्रधान ने पश्चिम बंगाल, उड़ीसा और कर्नाटक के कुछ पदाधिकारियों को द्विवार्षिक अधिवेशन में आने को लेकर अपनी असमर्थतता जाहिर करने को कहा है।




(रोहतक से दीपक खोखर की रिपोर्ट .संपर्क सूत्र - 09991680040 )



October 13, 2010



AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL NUJ (I) MEMBERS

Friends,

We all know that the NUJ (I) today stands at a very critical juncture. Many members, even some seniors have started saying that it is descending into a totalitarian regime. It is no more the transmitter from which we all drew our strength. Ironically some office-bearers drew more than necessary strength for their “singular selves” during the past few years.

It has become imperative to share amongst ourselves the causes of unrest in the NUJ (I) and find just solutions. Still more important is to find out the solution in time lest the coming time proves us as mere stingy cusses. And for that reason your attention is being drawn to the following facts:

1. History repeats itself. Recalling the past we note that when Mr. P.K. Roy was elected Secretary-General in November 2000, the subsequent elections were delayed and were held after a year. Now he is the President of NUJ (I) and elections due in March 2010 are being once again postponed for one reason or the other. The elections declared to be held in Rohtak on October 23, 24 and 25, 2010 have been cancelled. During the National Executive meeting in New Delhi in June, 2010 Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep, President and Secretary-General respectively, had sought three months time for holding elections. They had announced the dates and notices were dispatched to all State units but they suddenly cancelled it.

2. Mr. P.K. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep were elected President and Secretary General respectively in Hyderabad in March 2008. The financial equations in JAAP were not favourable at that time. The JAAP was not in a position to hold the biennial at that time but Mr. Roy was adamant and was not willing to postpone it. The NUJ (I) had given a loan of Rs. 2 lakhs to it for holding the biennial and the elections in Hyderabad. The unhappy development by some disgruntled persons during the Hyderabad biennial was a sad episode which tarnished the image of the NUJ (I) as a whole. These disgruntled elements had faxed wrong messages to the Andhra Governor, Chief Minister and several State ministers which culminated in their boycott of the NUJ (I) biennial-- no help of any type was received from them. It is to be noted that it was Mr. Ras Bihari who had later persuaded a senior Central Cabinet Minister to speak to the then Andhra CM the late Rajshekhar Reddy, to grant to the JAAP Rs. 6 lakhs to meet the expenses. JAAP had subsequently repaid the entire loan taken from the NUJ (I).

3. POLITICS OF DIVISION: The two and half years of Mr. Roy’s and Mr. Atmdeep’s sojourn have proved that they are very accretive. They seems to believe in the ‘peer-to-peer economy’ (i.e. one person is using one thing; another person is also using the same thing; the two things are connected in their use and are connecting the two persons too making them reciprocators) and have reduced the NUJ (I) into an ‘Orwellian world’ or better say in easy words a totalitarian regime of their own. They don’t consult anybody; they just dictate. The democratic character of NUJ (I) has become a thing of the past. The governing principle is ‘do as you are bid or quit’. The result is obvious. Divisions were created in JAAP which could be salvaged only by the intervention of senior-most members. It took these senior members two and half years (the entire tenure of Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep) to put JAAP back on rails. Ironically fresh efforts are being again made to recreate the chaos in JAAP. But what about other State units like Uttrakhand, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi where no stone was left unturned to create rifts and maim them. It is necessary for you all to know that Mr. Roy had been writing letters to the disgruntled elements in the JAAP directly from Lucknow without ever consulting anyone in Delhi or Mr. Lakshman in Hyderabad to whom he owes his election to his present post. These letters were produced by those elements in the Hyderabad court as documentary evidence. Similar efforts has again been made recently (Mr. Venkatnarayana’s letter to Mr. P.K. Roy with c.c. to Mr. Ramakrishna in Hyderabad.)

4. NUJ (I) ACCOUNT: Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep have not enriched the NUJ (I) exchequer even by a single rupee. On the contrary they have spent over Rs 1 lakh the original receipts for which have not been submitted sofar ignoring the CA's reminders. Today the NUJ (I) has practically no money in its bank account.

5. PRESS COUNCIL: The way Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep have tackled the issue of nomination of NUJ (I) in the Press Council is just disgusting and shows a callous indifference on their part. The Press Council letter seeking submission of names was received sufficiently in time by Mr. Roy but he sat tight over it and informed none. Just 24 hours before his departure on an IFJ-sponsored trip to Spain he sent the letter to Delhi office sans any instruction to anyone. Mr. Atmdeep took no one in Delhi in confidence and instructed Mr. Bhupinder Dharmani, a novice, to proceed from Sirsa to Delhi to file nomination papers with some guidelines which only they knew. However, on learning about his mission Mr. Ras Bihari rushed to NUJ (I) office summoning Mr. Gangwar and Mr. Harsha Vardhan to help him prepare the draft because that was the last day for submission. But Mr. Dharmani had come with a pre-set mind frame and a list of names to be submitted. No discussion was ever made; no consensus was there over names. Is this the way such important issues are tackled? But our president was air-borne at that time. The result, for the first time in the history of NUJ (I), is that the nomination papers filed by Mr. Dharmani in a huff have been rejected by the Press Council. God forbids, but it does not augur well and it is possible that the Press Council may not invite the NUJ (I) at all next time. Is it not a systematic design to push the NUJ (I) into oblivion.

6. WAGE BOARD: From the day one of preparing the massive specialised report to the last day of representation neither Mr. Roy nor Mr. Atmdeep did move a single pin much less helped in any constructive way. No one from any State unit did play any constructive role in its preparation. Mr. Rajender R. Prabhu, despite his extreme old age and failing health worked regularly till almost zero hour. It was exclusively because of Mr. Prabhu that the repute of the NUJ (I) always making the best and most specialized representation before the Wage Board was saved. It is necessary to mention here that amongst the actively assisting Mr. Prabhu were Mr. Hari Om, Mr. Gangwar, Mr. Harsha Vardhan, Mr. Ras Bihari, Mr. Pramod Mujumdar Mr. Manoj Mishra, Mr. Manohar Singh, Mr. Manoj Verma and Mr. Subhash Nigam.

7. JOURNALIST WELFARE FOUNDATION - It is another nest of doubtful activities. The top leaders controlling it have constituted it in such a way that the NUJ (I) has no control over it. The Foundation is an independent body made rich by donations collected in the name of the NUJ (I) -- what an irony! And to cap the crisis the Foundation controllers can severe the gossamer links with the NUJ(I) at any time of their choice and the latter will have no access to the money -- at present Rs 48 lakhs. There are however false claims that Rs. 37 lakhs are to be received yet from Uttrakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka. Mr Roy and Mr. Atmdeep, president and secretary-general of the NUJ (I) respectively are also the president and secretary-general of the Foundation. The duo never thought it necessary to resign from the Foundation after being elected to the NUJ (I). Moreover, Mr. Shyam Khosla, despite being expelled from the DJA and therefore from the NUJ (I) also and thus an outsider still continues to control the Foundation, directly and indirectly both, through his stooges planted in it. Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep are part of Mr. Khosla's stratagem -- even fools will laugh at our foolishness in permitting such irregularities. Still more ironical is the fact that more than Rs. 35 lakh donation money to the Foundation was deposited by Mr. Khosla in Punjab & Sindh Bank in Surajmal Vihar near his house at a low interest rate of 6.50% and 7.10% during his tenure. All suggestions to encash these FDs and to redeposit them in Canara Bank near NUJ (I) office in New Delhi @ 8.25% have been ignored. No need to mention the huge loss of interest to NUJ (I) here. What is needed is that any outsider in its managing committee be removed and its constitution be reformulated providing access to all State units to nominate one member in it. The members of its managing committee also should be working journalists in newspapers/agencies and not the retired ones. There can be, if thought necessary, one ornamental titular head from amongst the senior-most members.

8. ACCREDITATION: In the Central Press Accreditation Committee the representation of NUJ (I) has been cut down to one from two. Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep have not considered it important to make a representation to the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister nor have they ever thought necessary to meet the IB Minister and the Labour Minister. If they had no time for it, they could have easily directed the seniors in Delhi to do it. No wonder that not many ministers do know about NUJ (I) in the UPA Government. It is absolute remiss.

9. FOREIGN TRIPS: So far as IFJ conferences abroad are concerned, the normal practice till five years back on selection of the person to represent NUJ (I) was always consensual. It is not so now. Mr. Roy decides and sends the person whomsoever he likes -- so was it in the case of Mr. Ashok Malik(Indonesia) this time -- no one knew about his selection and the criterion for it. Mr. Atmdeep himself went to Hong-Kong. It is becoming a family affair amongst the top few -- some sort of reciprocal concessions.

10. JUMP: Mr. Atmdeep's energy is being spent on destroying the JUMP. He is more near and dear to the rivals than to our own members otherwise why should he have helped the IMC organise its conference in Bhopal. Dual fidelity or better say double romance -- one openly, one secretly. However, does it not indicate that Mr. Atmdeep is trying to create a parallel body in Madhya Pradesh.

11. UPJA : The Uttar Pradesh Journalists Association stands fractured for past few years. A case was filed by a section of the UPJA (Registered) headed by Mr. P.B. Verma challenging the misuse of the name of UPJA by the group of journalists headed by their ex-president, Mr. P.K.Roy. The court has issued Stay Order restraining the Second party i.e. Mr. P.K. Roy group from calling itself UPJA. One fails to understand why an unregistered body of UP journalists controlled by Mr. P.K.Roy is affiliated to NUJ (I) against its rules. And to cap it all Mr. Roy continues to remain president of NUJ (I). Considering his legal position he should have resigned soonafter the stay order by Lucknow Court.

12.NUJ(I) ADMINISTRATION : The NUJ(I) is at present being run like a political party where the 'leaders for life' are always busy in creating problems and then finding their solutions to prove their indispensability and therefore continuation. The NUJ (I) biennial elections have become a sort of musical chair race – the one who eliminates all other aspirants to the chair 'goes to Jerusalem'. This is the signal of the times which show the tendency. This letter is not a mere slugfest but a genuine effort to bring a tsunami of change and restore the NUJ(I) to its pristine glory.

13.NEW UNITS: There is a lot of boasting about creation of new State units and revival of some sleeping ones. It is better to know the reality.
The units in Gujarat, Jammu and Sikkim are only on paper. And some new units are told to deposit their annual subscriptions money directly in the NUJ(I) Account. Moreover, exaggerated figure of membership is being shown by enrolling freshers from colleges working as cub reporters for Senior Reporters attached to newspapers/news agencies

14.INKWORLD: About Inkworld, the prestigious mouthpiece of the NUJ (I), the least said, the better. It has been systematically killed and a source of income cut off. We fail to understand why it could not be revived when there are journalistic giants heading the NUJ (I).

15. SCHOOL: The NUJ (I) School of Journalism is another dead albatross hanging in the neck because of the inertia of the men heading it simply
because of the habit of reciprocal concessions amongst the top few. Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep have done nothing here except following the beaten track.

16.A REVELATION: And in the end we will like to make a shocking revelation -- Mr. Roy had telephoned some persons in West Bengal, Orissa and Karnataka asking them to send letters to him citing their inability to come in October and requesting for postponement of the biennial to a later date -- this is what we have been told by the same persons. The extended tenure of Mr. Roy and Mr. Atmdeep has ended on September 30, 2010. Now in the light of the cancellation of the biennial in October the duo should have resigned and an ad hoc panel should have been formed to conduct the elections. But it has not happened.

17. THE LAST APPEAL: This letter is the last wink of caution to the responsible persons in the NUJ (I). Remember that some time around 70 B.C. Cicero had become hoarse shouting in the Roman assembly: “The Good must unite or the Evil will take over". No body had paid heed to his words. And Julius Caesar had replied to Cicero by taking over after a few months.

THE QUESTIONS ARISE:

How long we will allow our Samsons to pull the NUJ (I) pillars over us?

How long squinting will be permitted amongst the top leaders i.e. looking at the NUJ (I) from one eye and at the IMC by the second?

How long the top echelons will keep on creating 'cracked bowls’?

The time has come when we should stop planting boiled potatoes.

The NUJ (I) is going to have rendezvous with destiny -- it needs young blood with vision and capable of action for "action without vision is a nightmare". It can no longer keep on following the beaten track.

We hope this wake-up call will make you stop and think -- think on a national level and not on regional or provincial; think as a member, however distant, of the NUJ(I) and not merely of your State unit; jump over your immediate interests and start thinking about the future interests of the NUJ(I).

Don’t forget the young members in all State units are silently watching the elders’ behavior and also their ambitions and may, therefore, adopt a new path. The seniors must take note of the unrest of the present times and its causes and therefore, also of its definite consequences. They can not continue to behave like Seraphs. The need of the time is to have faith in the next generation leadership i.e. in the age group of 40-55. The cataclasm has happened; the catastrophe is to be prevented.

We have bright hopes for the NUJ (I) only because we have hopes from you that you will respond to the demand of the time wisely. Looking forward for that bright day we stand with you.


With Regards:-

Senior NUJ(I)/ DJA members.