Opposition parties on Thursday attacked the AAP government for reportedly hiking allocation for information and publicity, saying spending public money on “<g data-gr-id="26">self publicity</g>” amounted to corruption.
According to reports, the AAP has reportedly set aside over Rs 500 crore to fund its radio advertisements over the current financial year, in which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address the people of Delhi and share his government’s work. The ads, which will run with the tagline ‘Jo Kaha, So Kiya’, will refer to his party’s pre-poll promises and the steps taken by the government to implement them.
“They (Delhi government) have set aside Rs 526 crore just for information and publicity and last year only Rs 24 crore was spent for the same,” said Congress leader Ajay Maken.
“They have cut <g data-gr-id="30">budget</g> from various other infrastructure development works and are spending money on their own party workers and consultants. Is it not a form of corruption by spending more money on <g data-gr-id="28">self publicity</g>?” Ajay Maken asked.
According to a senior government official, to connect with the people of Delhi, <g data-gr-id="32">government</g> has released a 70-second long advertisement which is being played on FM radio channels.
AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar, who has openly criticised the party leadership on several issues, on Thursday trained his guns on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over allocation of Rs 526 crore for publicity and termed it as an exercise of “self-<g data-gr-id="27">propogation</g>”.
Terming the employment of AAP workers in the Delhi government at “hefty” salaries as an “abuse of public money”, the Timarpur MLA also questioned the appointment of 21 party legislators as Parliamentary Secretaries. He said the AAP was in serious danger of losing its way and was on a “slippery mode.”