New Delhi, April 14: Disturbing news of layoffs, salary cuts and furlough in several leading media houses came to the front on Monday. Attacking the government on this issue, senior Congress leader Sashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari expressed their shock and disappointment. In a tweet, Tharoor said, "This virus is the biggest blessing for this Government. Not just that they have a watertight excuse for the economic failures that preceded COVID, but the independent media that might have questioned them is collapsing!"

Congress MP and former Union minister Manish Tewari in a written letter to Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar requested that the ministry issued an advisory to all media outlets “to not retrench their employees and to pay their salaries on time”. His statement came in the face of several reports that journalists from leading English and Hindi media outlets were asked to leave owing to the economic instability caused by COVID-19. Lockdown Extended in India Till May 3, Announces PM Narendra Modi in Address to The Nation on Coronavirus Crisis.

Here's what Shashi Tharoor has tweeted:

Check Manish Tewari's tweet on media layoffs:

Tewari in his letter stressed that the lockdown must not become an “excuse” for firing journalists. He said, “I do understand that these are tough times, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown cannot be an excuse for firing people considering that it has been only three weeks since the lockdown began."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced the extension of the lockdown till May 3 in order to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Modi said the decision has been taken after feedback received from experts, state governments and citizen groups. The announcement comes on the day when the current phase of 21-day lockdown was scheduled to end. PM Modi in this address to the nation also asked companies to not fire employees, to pay their salaries and be compassionate towards each other.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2020 11:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).