The AAP on Saturday accused BJP-ruled states of spending over Rs 2,000 crore on advertisements praising three years of the Narendra Modi-led government and said the money should have been utilised to build schools and hospitals instead.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will appeal to a committee set up to monitor the Supreme Court's guidelines on government advertisements, to redeem this money from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"When we inquired in different states, we came to know that a budget of over Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated for advertisements praising three years of the BJP (NDA) government," the AAP leader said.
When IANS asked how the AAP arrived at the figure of Rs 2,000 crore, AAP leader Ashutosh said it is from "our own sources", and didn't elaborate.
Showing newspaper advertisements from different states, the Deputy Chief Minister said: "These are advertisements from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. In these BJP-ruled states, tax payers' money is being spent on praising three years of BJP (NDA) government."
"Governments have the right to give advertisements and it's needed too, but it must be to communicate with people and not for celebrating your party's three years at the Centre," Sisodia said.
Speaking about allegations made by sacked Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra earlier on Saturday, about a Rs 300 crore "scam" on procurement of medicines by the Delhi government, Sisodia dubbed it as a "daily soap opera" and baseless.
--IANS
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