While Hindi writer Yadav attacked the Government for being ``afraid of autonomous and independent institutions'' and of destroying ``all educational and cultural institutions'', historian Thapar on her party, said she wanted to know the basis of the selection. ``All this talk of professionalism is a joke,'' she added. Her point is that the Prasar Bharati board cannot comprise only telecasters and broadcasters. ``Education is at the forefront of a public broadcasting service. How can that segment be ignored?'' she asked. Yadav was even more caustic when he called the move an outright assault on professionalism: ``What experience has Arun Jaitley had in running a cable operation? Or someone like Mamata Banerjee? Has she ever run an organisation like the Railways before?''

While neither was willing to comment on their future course of action, Thapar did say this was only the Government's way of silencing dissent. Yadav mentioned the ``dire poverty of the BJP's intellectual capacity'' and their habit of labelling all criticism Leftist.