New Delhi, May 3: Prasar Bharati CEO K.S. Sarma has written to the Election Commission, defending his organisation against the Congress charge that Doordarshan’s election coverage is heavily biased in favour of the National Democratic Alliance.

The poll panel had asked Sarma for a detailed explanation.

Congress leader Oscar Fernandes had complained to the commission that while the national broadcaster’s coverage was slanted to help the ruling coalition, it was being unfair to the Opposition. He also alleged that Doordarshan was taking orders from the Prime Minister’s Office, which had instructed it not to telecast live rallies and functions of the Congress.

Fernandes even said on April 12, Doordarshan news personnel were present at a strategy session in the Prime Minister’s residence. Sarma has denied that any official of the national news channel attended such a meeting.

Congress sources said they pointed out to the poll commission that L.K. Advani’s Bharat Uday yatra was covered extensively by the national network and a team of photographers followed the deputy Prime Minister’s roadshow from Kanyakumari to Amritsar and Porbandar to Puri. As Advani was not on official but party work, Doordarshan had no business to give the yatra the kind of coverage it did, the Congress said.

Sarma defended the national network’s decision to extensively cover Advani’s roadshow. “As a professional news channel, we had to telecast Advani’s yatra, simply because it was news,” the CEO said. “If the Congress had held a similar yatra, we would have given similar coverage. I can’t help it if the Congress party did not think of having a yatra.” He added that whatever Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or his deputy did was news and of public interest.

“Due representation to the different political parties is sought to be provided by Doordarshan in a fair and balanced manner, within its larger purpose of carrying items based on their news value and topicality. It is not possible, however, to ensure that each party gets exactly the same air time to the last second,” Sarma wrote in his letter dated April 23.