Indian opposition parties have pledged to boycott several television news anchors they accuse of spreading hate and of partisanship towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
“We do not want to legitimise this hate-filled narrative which is corroding our society,” Congress party spokesman Pawan Khera said in a video statement on Thursday.
“We will not partake in these showrooms of hate.”
Congress is in an alliance of more than two dozen parties that are hoping to provide a unified alternative to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of national elections next year.
Activists and rights groups have sounded the alarm on press freedoms since Modi took office in 2014.
The opposition politicians have accused India’s clamorous cable news shows of being in thrall to the BJP’s agenda, including polarising segments on Muslim and Christian minorities.
This story was originally published in aljazeera.com. Read the full story here