TEHRAN In its Tuesday night session, the Majlis (Parliament) Cultural Commissiondid not accept resignation of the head of the commission, Ahmad Pournejati, who announced he was resigning from his post earlier Tuesday.
His decision to resign was announced in an oration delivered before Tuesday's open session of the Parliament.
Pournejati stressed that he had resigned out of a religious duty and to defend the Majlis.
According to IRNA, his resignation was announced after Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed the Majlis to forgo an schedule debate on the amendment of the Press Law passed by the Fifth Majlis dominated mainly by the conservatives.
The law has been the basis of a crackdown on the press and the imprisonment of several journalists.
Commenting on the plan to amend the said law, Pournejati said: "This motion was approved by the commission (for culture) after hours of discussion with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Judiciary duly represented in the debates which took place between members of the commission and concerned MPs.
"The commission then proposed the motion which was included in the Majlis agenda and was approved, but it was withdrawn following the order of the Leader." He criticized several print media for their unilateral and biased political comments which, he said, proved they were from the very beginning dissatisfied with the Sixth Majlis.
"The unjust propaganda had no result other than destruction and denigration," he said.
Pournejati took a swipe at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for its part in spreading negative propaganda one of the effects of which led to a brawl on Sunday on the floors of Parliament.
"The Majlis Cultural Commission has reached the point when it no longer enjoys tranquility of mind during sessions. While no outsider took part in the recent session, a newspaper affiliated to a certain faction published undercurrent talks without any previous notice," Pournejati said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Shaban Shahidi on Monday afternoon in a meeting with reporters voiced support for the Leader of the Islamic Revolution saying that all should obey him.
Also a number of organizations and societies issued statements in support of the Leader's remarks. Islamic Propagation Organization, Qom Seminary, Islamic Society of the students, headquarters of the Armed Forces were among the bodies who voiced support for Ayatollah Khamenei.