New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The Press Council of India (PCI) has issued a notice to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary over Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's reported remark asking the media that if they wanted advertisements they should publish "our news".

In a press conference held on December 16 last year, Gehlot allegedly said that "vigyapan chahte ho toh hamari khabar dikhao" (if you want advertisements, publish or telecast our news).

"Such statements is contrary to the values of democracy and affects the reliability and freedom of media. A notice for reply has been issued to the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan in this regard," the PCI said in a release.

The PCI has taken suo motu cognisance of Gehlot's "disconcerting" statement.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)