Patna, (Bihar Times): Union Rural Development Minister and member of Parliament from Vaishali, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, on Thursday strongly refuted reports telecast by a couple of television channels which showed some children working as oxen in the farmland owned by his brother.

Addressing newsmen in New Delhi on Thursday he dubbed the media reports on two Dalit boys being used as oxen as a ‘stage-managed sting operation’.He also appealed to the television channels, which ran the story last week, to restore ‘the irreparable loss they have caused to me’.

The minister said that one of the channels, which ran the byte borrowed from another channel, had later sent its reporter to ascertain the real facts. The reporter and photographer of this channel shot the real story, but for reasons better known to it, never ran it.

The story was highlighted for three continuous days––between December 9 and 11––by different channels as well as print media.

Singh presented an inquiry report of the labour commissioner of Bihar which stated that the children shown in the TV reports were, in fact, studying in a local school and were lured by four motorcycle-borne men into giving that TV byte on payment of Rs 20.

Singh claimed that the motorcycle borne newsmen had gone to the region to cover a news story on water-logging, which is still prevalent all over Vaishali district, including his farm. The reporters had got his brother, Raghuraj Singh, to talk about water-logging and thus got him photographed. Whatever may be the minister’s assertion  his brother, while giving his byte––as shown by the TV channels––said that the (ploughing) work can be done by children, whether they fell ill or not.

The Union minister sermonized the media that if they did not discharge its role honestly and sincerely, it will only weaken democracy. He said that he always worked for the development of poor, removal of poverty and against the child labour.

However, he made it clear, that he was contemplating any penal action against the concerned newspersons or their organization.

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