BJP attacks AAP over 'advertisement scam', demands CBI inquiry
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi BJP on Tuesday attacked the AAP over Lt Governor V K Saxena directing the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the ruling party for "political advertisements".
Addressing a press conference held here, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged an "advertisement scam" in the city government and demanded a CBI inquiry into it.
"We see an advertisement scam here, and demand a CBI inquiry into it. We will approach the LG in this regard," he said.
Bidhuri also claimed that the amount to be recovered from the ruling party in Delhi would rise to Rs 400 crore.
There was no immediate reaction to this from the AAP.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and the Delhi BJP's working president Virendra Sachdeva were also present during the press conference.
Delhi Lt Governor Saxena has directed the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the Aam Aadmi Party for political advertisements it published in the guise of government advertisements, official sources said on Tuesday.
The Delhi government's Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP), acting on a 2016 directive from a Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had notified that Rs 97.14 crore (Rs 97,14,69,137) had been spent or booked on account of "non-conforming advertisements", they said.
The BJP leaders welcomed the direction by the LG to recover Rs 97 crore from the AAP. They also referred to the Supreme Court guidelines issued a few years ago.
In 2015, the apex court had postulated guidelines to regulate government advertising and eliminate unproductive expenditure. Following this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting formed the three-member Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA) in 2016.
Even after the Supreme Court guidelines, the Aam Aadmi Party "continued to violate" the guidelines as it had been doing before, Bidhuri alleged.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Power struggle in ruling Cong has 'created massive confusion' in Karnataka: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday claimed that the ongoing power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has created massive confusion in Karnataka.
He remarked that the proverb “when two people fight, the third one benefits” has come true, as AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge is also now making efforts to become Chief Minister.
Speaking to reporters here, Ashoka said the entire government has turned into a house of confusion due to the alleged power tussle.
Kharge’s new statement has only added to the chaos, he said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had on Friday said that no date has been fixed yet to discuss possible leadership change in Karnataka.
This came a day after Kharge said there was no change of CM in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state would be resolved soon.
The BJP leader said that Kharge too has aspirations and that he was cheated earlier.
"Perhaps he has received a green signal from the Congress high command to become CM. Everyone is already saying Kharge should become CM. Kharge himself has declared, “I am ready to become CM.” Despite many attempts in the past, he never became CM. Now he is trying to seize the opportunity," the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly said.
According to him, the situation in Congress has perfectly become a case of “two people fighting, third one benefits.”
