BJP states spent Rs 2000 crore to advertise three years of NDA govt: Sisodia

Manish Sisodia He said the Aam Aadmi Party would move the Comptroller and Auditor General and the committee that has been set up to monitor the AAP government’s spending on advertisements.

Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states are spending Rs 2000 crore of taxpayer’s money to trumpet the completion of the third anniversary of the NDA government at the centre, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday. The BJP denied the allegations.

Manish Sisodia He said the Aam Aadmi Party would move the Comptroller and Auditor General and the committee that has been set up to monitor the AAP government’s spending on advertisements. (Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

“We found from our own sources that Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated by BJP-ruled states from their budgets. This is being spent on advertisements in newspapers, channels and social networks to announce the completion of three years of the union government,” said Sisodia.

He said the Aam Admi Party would move the Comptroller and Auditor General and the committee that has been set up to monitor the AAP government’s spending on advertisements.

“We would urge the CAG and the committee to perform an audit of the money spent on advertisements and recover the amount from the BJP. The money could then be spent to build hospitals and schools in the respective states,” the deputy chief minister said.

GVL Narsimha Rao, BJP spokesman, said:”These are blatant lies and concoctions by the Aam Aadmi Party. This has become a signature of the AAP style of politics. The shoot and scoot politics may have served them well in the past, but with their credibility gone, no one is taking them seriously now”

Baijal’s order had come after a Centre-appointed panel found the Delhi government guilty of “misusing” taxpayers’ money on advertisements.

The Supreme Court on May 13, 2015 ruled that government ads would only carry photographs of the president, the prime minister and the chief justice of India. It barred ruling parties from putting pictures of their leaders in ads publicising welfare schemes.

The CAG had pulled up the Kejriwal government for spending Rs 29 crore in advertisements outside Delhi, which it said was “beyond its responsibility”.

“We would urge the CAG and the committee to do a comparative audit. They should look into the contents and intent of the advertisements of the AAP government and those given by the BJP ruled states,” Sisodia added.