CHANDIGARH: Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minsiter Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday condemnded the alleged restrictions impsoed at behest of state government on ZE Punjabi TV channel.

In a statement issued here Capt Singh said that it was just one more effort on the part of CM Parkash Singh Badal's son Sukhbir Singh Badal to capture the entire TV viewership in Punjab, by selectively showing programmes to the public in conformity with his political doctrine and views.

He said that Badal family has taken over the cable network by coercive methods of threat, by the use of the police, and the registration of false cases against the then cable operators. It is believed that he has huge benami shares in the DIGI and Fastway cable companies. As a result the entire cable network is in the hands of his front company called Fastway cables. This company is fronted by a  Gurdip Singh of Ludihana, he alleged.

Capt Singh said that the ministry of Information and Broadcasting, TRAI and MRTPC/ Competition Commission must view this attempt to take over the entire viewership in this monopolistic manner as a very serious matter and they must take immediate  remedial action.