One-sided picture in Parliament

News

It was censorship of a different sort. Though it is not clear who ordered it, it fell on the Police to enforce it when Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera was presenting his first budget.
Photographers who were assigned for coverage inside the Parliament gallery during the presentation on Thursday were in for a rude shock.

Once inside, they were told they could be restricted to a vantage point from where they could only get a frontal view of Government MPs. Despite efforts by them to get to the opposite side so that they could capture some on the opposition benches, they were prevented by the Police personnel on duty saying they had been instructed not to allow them to move to the other side.
It seems a new rule because just last month, when Parliament marked its 70th anniversary, photographers were allowed free movement inside the upper floor of the gallery so they could capture MPs on all sides. So much for parliamentary democracy.

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