The ongoing ‘war’ between two leading vernacular Telugu dailies seems reached a flash point. These dailies not only taken ‘degeneration’ to the extent ‘point of no return’, but also help evaporate the little faith that readers had in media.

It may be difficult to say, who is right and who is wrong, yet today as a media persons myself feel ashamed of what is happening around me. The strong reason behind these two dailies is clear as one is owned by a person who swears to wipe the national Congress party out from the state map, while the other taken birth to protect party interests.

That the daily, which vowed to finish Congress in Andhra soil is not my statement, but of its promoter himself! Promoter of Eenadu, which boasts to be the largest circulated daily, Ch Ramoji Rao, in an affidavit filed in the High Court in regard to a case fighting against irregularities in his Margadarsi Chit Funds, made such a startling revelation.

Hence, I wonder ‘should the people of the state have to go through the ugly media fight that is going on since last few years between YSR and Ramoji camps? Ironically, both the media barons want to convince the people that their enemy is people’s enemy. They both use the powerful media for this purpose, making people oblige to read every morning whatever ‘rubbish’ they publish against their enemy camp. Both their versions are quite against on the same matter and try to misguide the people with their narrations and guess work.

It is pity that media which is supposed to support the democratic system and fight for the people’s cause is misused for personnel agendas. It is time for the people to boycott such yellow journalism and opt for real news.

Another anti-Congress daily, Andhra Jyothi, had also joined this high pitched dirty battle and acclaimed the status of “thoka patrika” (tail of Eenadu) among Telugu readers!

It seems people are paying their hard earned money to know about the grudges between them and forced to follow their news, as there is no alternative for them. The ugly media war has now turned into a bitter one to one rivalry. The media baron and Eenadu-Margadarsi Chief Ramoji Rao have now been openly challenged by YS Jagan, son of late chief minister YS Rajashekara Reddy.

YS Jagan is the Congress MP from Kadapa and also emerged as a big media player in the state. He owns the daily newspaper Sakshi as well as the TV channel Sakshi TV.

The latest war between the two broke out as Ramoji envy over unprecedented crowds being drawn by his bete noir’s son during his Odarpu Yatra. After his successful first phase yatra in West Godavari and Khmmam, the second phase, which was launched from Srikakulam into East Godavari , proved a grand success. Barring his daily and TV channel, all other media establishments in the state had no option but to cover the successful ongoing Odarpu Yatra by the young MP.

Ramoji Rao, who is also known as ‘Raja Guru’ in media circles, In a bid to divert the media attention from Jagan’s Odarpu Yatra, apparently sold the idea to TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu to take up the Babli issue by organizing ‘bus yatra’ and intensify agitation against Maharashtra’s illegal constructions of projects across river Godavari.

But, the Babli agitation ended in total chaos, though Ramoji-TDP combine succeeded to some extension of reducing the media focus towards Jagan’s ongoing Odarpu Yatra in East Godavari . Ironically, the Babli bus yatra also proved a political suicidal to main Opposition Telugu Desam party as its leadership failed to concentrate on byelections to 12 assembly constituencies in Telangana. This was evident from none other than the party chief of that party accepting ‘defeat’ even before the results were out.

In the wake of such ugly war in the media, many a right thinking journalist is of the opinion that it’s time for the Centre to frame certain guidelines and give more teeth to the Press Council of India, to put an end.

In the past, a seminar held in Hyderabad indeed discussed this factor threadbare and wanted to discipline the media, which is shirking its responsibility. Yes, it discussed about drawing a ‘Lakshmana Rekha’ to restrain media from exceeding its brief.

Well, the Centre might have restrained all these year, but now it looks inevitable. It has to step in and take necessary remedial measures to save Indian media, per se. It should further strengthen the Press Council of India’s legal teeth to discipline ‘indiscipline’ media houses in the country.