Lumami, November 8 (MExN): It is confirmed that the AICC General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi is visiting Nagaland University Headquarters Lumami on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. However, his visit is deemed to be a low-profile one since the ‘media” has left out of the preview of his visit. Media persons are not allowed.
Nagaland University officials disclosed that the young Congress leader will be arriving at 10:40 AM on Wednesday from Dimapur, and he is scheduled to have an interactive session with the students of NU.
However, there is confusion over the presence of media persons at this interactive session. A Nagaland University Non Teaching Staff Association called up local media asking to be present before the Congress leader arrives at the NU Campus; there would be security clearance, and so Identity Cards is mandatory.
But when The Morung Express reporter went to the campus to see the preparation for the young Congress Icon; a young unidentified lady, simply asked the reporter to go out and that the media are not ‘invited’. The lady, who claimed that she is an NU official (security personnel from Delhi –probably NSG – said she is the secretary of NSUI) and that the meeting would be a closed door one and no media persons are invited. No reasons were given why the media was not invited for such a high profile visit.
Banners have been hung up and students were seen arranging the stage at the NU auditorium.
It is amusing that the Nagaland University has invited the media persons of Nagaland to be present at the University. A Central security official overseeing the security for the AICC General Secretary’s visit disclosed that “NU is organizing the programme, while the NSUI (National Student’s Union of India) is providing the guideline.”
The security official talked in his walkie-talkie and simply confirmed that media persons, whether local or national are not invited for covering Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with the NU Students. An excuse was given by the security official that Rahul’s visit is not a “political visit” and that they don’t want any controversy over his visit. It makes sense since the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) had opposed Rahul’s visit to NU a few weeks back.
However, when a person in the stature of Rahul Gandhi, who is considered as a youth icon, and touted as the next prime minister of India, visits Nagaland or Nagaland University (a University which his father late Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone), there is surely a lot of interest both locally and nationally. And if Rahul Gandhi, the young politician could sleep in the house of a Dalit in some interior Indian state, work along with the lowly labourers in the stone quarry and travel in a third class compartment in a train, then surely his visit to Nagaland should not be such low profile one; after all the people of Nagaland has a right to know about the visit of Rahul Gandhi, whether to Nagaland or to Nagaland University.
Nagaland University officials disclosed that the young Congress leader will be arriving at 10:40 AM on Wednesday from Dimapur, and he is scheduled to have an interactive session with the students of NU.
However, there is confusion over the presence of media persons at this interactive session. A Nagaland University Non Teaching Staff Association called up local media asking to be present before the Congress leader arrives at the NU Campus; there would be security clearance, and so Identity Cards is mandatory.
But when The Morung Express reporter went to the campus to see the preparation for the young Congress Icon; a young unidentified lady, simply asked the reporter to go out and that the media are not ‘invited’. The lady, who claimed that she is an NU official (security personnel from Delhi –probably NSG – said she is the secretary of NSUI) and that the meeting would be a closed door one and no media persons are invited. No reasons were given why the media was not invited for such a high profile visit.
Banners have been hung up and students were seen arranging the stage at the NU auditorium.
It is amusing that the Nagaland University has invited the media persons of Nagaland to be present at the University. A Central security official overseeing the security for the AICC General Secretary’s visit disclosed that “NU is organizing the programme, while the NSUI (National Student’s Union of India) is providing the guideline.”
The security official talked in his walkie-talkie and simply confirmed that media persons, whether local or national are not invited for covering Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with the NU Students. An excuse was given by the security official that Rahul’s visit is not a “political visit” and that they don’t want any controversy over his visit. It makes sense since the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) had opposed Rahul’s visit to NU a few weeks back.
However, when a person in the stature of Rahul Gandhi, who is considered as a youth icon, and touted as the next prime minister of India, visits Nagaland or Nagaland University (a University which his father late Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone), there is surely a lot of interest both locally and nationally. And if Rahul Gandhi, the young politician could sleep in the house of a Dalit in some interior Indian state, work along with the lowly labourers in the stone quarry and travel in a third class compartment in a train, then surely his visit to Nagaland should not be such low profile one; after all the people of Nagaland has a right to know about the visit of Rahul Gandhi, whether to Nagaland or to Nagaland University.
