NEW DELHI: Of a hefty 33.4 crores that the Arvind Kejriwal government splurged on a single ad campaign, 85 per cent was spent outside Delhi, government auditor CAG has said in a scathing report that raises several questions about the Aam Aadmi Party government’s publicity blitz in its first year in power.
The auditor has in its 55-page report accessed by NDTV, also accused the Delhi government of using public money on television ads that showed a person waving a broom, AAP’s election symbol, and said they referred to “AAP ki Sarkar,” which publicised the party not the government.
It said the ads attributed a number of the state government’s achievements to Chief Minister Kejriwal’s personal efforts, an allegation that Delhi’s opposition parties, the BJP and Congress, have repeatedly made.
The CAG report also says that of the 526 crores that the AAP government spent on ads, it is unable to give details on expenditure of more than 100 crores.
It spent over 70 lakhs on ads attempting to discredit the central government by blaming it for Delhi’s deteriorating law and order, the report says.
The auditor has questioned claims made by the Kejriwal government in its ads, like when it said it had completed three bridges in the capital on time, spending less than the budgeted 350 crores.
False, alleges the CAG, pointing out that substantial work still remains to be done on the bridges.
It has also said it finds no evidence to support the AAP government’s claims in ads that it built a dispensary in just 20 lakh rupees as against the five crore spent by earlier dispensations.
In the Delhi assembly today, AAP and the BJP sparred with the latter accusing the ruling party of “unconstitutionally hiding” the report “which exposes wastage of public money” on advertisements and said it would demand a CBI investigation.
“The government has not received CAG report yet; we have nothing to hide, will table report on the floor of the assembly,” said Delhi’s Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com)
