Tripura CM Manik Sarkar to India Today: Prasar Bharti can't dictate what I want to say

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has called Prasar Bharati's alleged refusal to air his Independence Day speech an "expression of intolerance."

"It is thoroughly undemocratic, authoritarian and also (an) expression of intolerance. Ours is a federal country. While our Prime Minister was addressing the people from the Red Fort, Chief Ministers have the same right to address people in their own states on the same occasion," the four-time Tripura CM told India Today.

"This is the experience of our federal structure and people of this state have voted the government in power. So why should it be muzzled?" Sarkar asked.

Manik Sarkar, a senior politburo member of the CPI(M), said the present Narendra Modi government was only trying to muzzle the voice of the people.

Doordarshan has refuted allegations that Manik Sarkar's speech was blacked out.