Mumbai: The MPCC President Nana Patole on Thursday severely criticized the Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for slamming some journalists for running a fake narrative that Maharashtra had lost five major investments to Gujarat and other states and calling them as HMVs (His Master’s Voices). Patole said, “Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. It is their job to question the government and criticize its policies, but the Bharatiya Janata Party, which does not respect democracy and the constitution, calling journalists as HMV (His Masters Voice) and comparing them to slaves is an unacceptable form of pressure,” the MPCC chief.
Patole further said that if this kind of behaviour is being done by the Deputy Chief Minister of the State, it is a misfortune of Maharashtra and BJP and Devendra Fadnavis should apologize for this kind of thing.
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26 May 2025
Speaking in this context, Nana Patole said that since the Bharatiya Janata Party Government came to power at the Centre in 2014, the independence of all the institutions has been taken away. Attempts are being made to make them dance to the tune of the government. Media works as a watchdog in a democratic governance system. They are working for the welfare of the society, criticized the government, asked the government to answer, what did the media do wrong?
Fadnavis had slammed the Opposition and about four to five journalists for running a fake narrative that Maharashtra had lost five major investments to Gujarat and other states after the Shiv Sena BJP came to power. He had termed those five journalists as HMVs (His Master’s Voices). However, he did not disclose the names of these five journalists. The Deputy CM’s outburst came in the wake of an attack from the Thackeray camp leaders, including Aaditya Thackeray, Bhaskar Jadhav, and Sushama Andhare, against the Shinde-Fadnavis Government on a range of issues, including key projects going out of Maharashtra.
“Some journalists and writers were also using social media to express their opposition to the Shinde Government,” Fadnavis had charged.
Patole lashed out at Fadnavis for terming journalists HMV, saying that it was an insult to journalism and journalists. Fadnavis should withdraw his words, he added.
