‘Poll-bound states using public funds for ads’
Congress asks EC to prohibit them from using public funds
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday shot off a letter to the Election Commission of India, asking it to prohibit the poll-bound states of Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from issuing any advertisement by using public money to serve their respective party's political benefits.
Calling it an “abhorrent practice” and blatant misuse of funds, the Congress said the BJP governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh were indulging in extravagant publicity at the state's expense through their campaigns for the upcoming Assembly elections.
“By way of these yatras — Jan Ashirwad Yatra (MP), Gaurav Yatra (Rajasthan) and Vikas Yatra (Chhattisgarh) — it becomes impossible for the common man to draw any distinction between the political agenda sought to be propagated and the bona fide schemes or programmes of the state machinery, which too are then given a political colouring,” the letter, written by Congress leader Vivek Tankha, mentioned.
Addressed to Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat, the letter by Congress alleged that officers of the state machinery were ordered to mobilise and aggregate paid crowd and to keep the media satisfied, huge advertisements were doled out. “Additionally, a large number of websites are extended bounties to keep the interest of ruling party in mind,” the letter said.
Tankha, who is the chairman of the AICC Legal, Human Rights and RTI Department, asked the election watchdog to issue peremptory orders to the Telangana chief secretary to ensure that no public money is used by the caretaker government on advertisements till the elections.
“This should also include taking off all hoardings, banners and advertisements etc. presently in public domain before the dissolution of the state assembly,” the letter said.
Asserting that the “yatras” being carried out by the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh governments were party-motivated and had no element of public interest involved, Congress demanded that chief secretaries of the respective states should be sent an advisory “to stop all public expenditure” on them. “Officers of the state machinery should also refrain from supporting these Yatras except insofar as it involves the discharge of bona fide public duties,” Tankha wrote.
Congress also sought strict enforcement of a recent order of the Rajasthan High Court, which has ruled that no government events should be organised on the sidelines of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's ‘Gaurav Yatra'. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog said no event for which funds were disbursed by the state government would be held along the yatra route on the day it passes through.
“The Election Commission of India has the trust of the people of India to conduct free and fair elections. There is no scope for ruling party in the poll-bound state to be permitted unfettered access and utilization of public funds for political gains,” the letter further mentioned.