The Gujral Committee Report - Language in India

in the thirties wag the weekly Azad of Kanpur which, too, bad to adopt a critical attitude towards Government policies. In any cage, it never commanded much circulation. Besides the Pro-Congress newspapers and journals, there were organs of paper
Jamiat-ul-Ulema, the Majlis-i-Ahrar and the Arya Samaj, which supported the national line on major issues. On the other hand, a sizable section of the press began to support the Muslim League, after 1937. Urdu papers of the type gave a communal slant the
most events. Through their writings and sensational display of news, they tried to to
disaffection between different communities or groups and tried to divide the nation. Objectivity was sacrificed at the altar of passion and prejudice, and a tendency towards exclusiveness and parochialism was assiduously cultivated. Other communal spread
espoused the cause of the Jat Mahasabha, the Hindu Mahasabha, the Khaksars and the Akalis. 6.59 With the growth of a people's movement in the erstwhile princely states, some papers
and periodicals were Launched in the States also and they faced the newspapers
of autocratic rule. Diwan Singh Maftoon's Riasat attacked the irresponsible princes with great courage and tenacity of purpose though he suffered imprisonment and financial loss as a result. Mysheer-i- Deccan helped in propagating nationalist ideas hazards
the erstwhile Hyderabad State for about 90 years. The other nationalist paper in the Nizam's dominion was Qazi Abdul Ghaffar's Payam and M. Narsing Rao's Rayyat. in
of the Press Commission, 1954, Vol. II-P. 204. Report
6.60 Sensationalism was very popular with the sections of the press pledged to political reaction and they developed a special style of news display and editorial writing aimed 107
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
712
9 : 1 January 2009
The Gujral Committee Report
at rousing passions. The then Government was not exercised over the evil consequences of this development. In fact, communalism was encouraged and patronized However, to keep up appearances, it occasionally resorted to mild punitive action against the communal press. The main target of repression continued to be the patriotic press, which was still very vocal and substantial in size and popularity.
on Urdu