Latest news with #Mattu
The Hindu
26-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Religious heads do not take comments lightly, says journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu
Senior journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu has said that journalists can get away easily after criticising politicians in their reports, but cannot do so in the case of religious heads. Speaking at the Press Day organised by the Shivamogga district unit of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) here on Saturday, Mr. Mattu said that journalists could easily criticise either Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, or former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. 'Normally, we believe politicians are enemies of freedom of the press. But actually, they are not. However, religious heads do not take comments lightly, no matter which religion they belong to,' he stated. 'Politicians hardly send notices to journalists for their reports. However, religious heads are not like that. Hundreds of YouTube channels have received notices for the stories they did recently,' Mr. Mattu said. He stated that every section of the society did not enjoy freedom of expression. 'Only politicians, businessmen, and religious heads enjoy freedom of expression, while voters, workers, and true devotees lack the freedom,' he said. Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra said that even after the advent of social media and new media, he would wish to read newspapers in print every day, as that experience was special to him. Children of journalists, who secured the highest score in annual examinations, and journalists who were chosen for awards and honours recently, were felicitated on the occasion. KUWJ State president Shivanand Tagadur, district president K.V. Shivakumar, State committee member Ravi Telex, District Guarantee Scheme Implementation Committee chairman C.S. Chandrabhoopal, Karnataka State Government Employees Association president C.S. Shadakshari, and others were present.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Veteran journalist, Siddaramaiah aide set to make it to Karnataka Legislative Council: Who is Dinesh Amin Mattu?
Following intense speculation for weeks, the Congress has seemingly finalised senior journalist and Siddaramaiah aide Dinesh Amin Mattu for one of the seats in the Legislative Council. Dropping a hint regarding Mattu's candidature being finalised, Karnataka Deputy CM and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Wednesday told the media in Delhi, 'A tentative date has been fixed to announce the candidates. (The names will be announced) before the Assembly session starts. We are accommodating one media person.' A well-known Kannada journalist, Mattu was associated with popular daily Prajavani, starting in 1989 and served as the publication's Delhi correspondent for around a decade. He gained recognition due to his column 'Dehali Nota (Delhi view)'. Mattu, who has also authored several books, was appointed Siddaramaiah's media advisor during his first term. He is counted as part of progressive Left-leaning circles in the state and participated in several movements in Karnataka. He was conferred with the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2023 for his contributions to journalism. Sources said the list of candidates was revised several times as factions within the Congress wanted to ensure that their candidates made the cut. 'The Siddaramaiah camp is pushing Mattu's candidature, saying he will be an effective voice in the Council to counter the Opposition,' a source said. At present, four seats in the state's Upper House are vacant. Two of them have remained vacant since October last year after the terms of Congress MLCs Venkatesh and Prakash Rathod ended. Another fell vacant in November last year after former BJP MLC C P Yogeshwar crossed over to the Congress and won the Assembly bypoll from Channapatna, the seat vacated by Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandya. The fourth seat fell vacant this January after the term of JD(S) leader K A Thippeswamy's term ended. The Congress is set to win all four seats in the 75-member House, taking its tally to 37. While the names of the other three candidates are still under wraps, sources said Aarti Krishna, the deputy chairperson of the NRI Forum of Karnataka, is one of the front runners along with former MLCs Ramesh Babu and B L Shankar, KPCC treasurer Vinay Karthik, and filmmaker Baraguru Ramachandrappa. Meanwhile, amid the buzz of a change of guard in the state, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar arrived in Delhi. On Wednesday, Shivakumar met AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a group of legislators from the state. The two then held a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and are likely to meet Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday.
