THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following a complaint by the Aam Aadmi Party candidate, the BJP has started removing the ‘IPS’ tag from the campaign posters of its star candidate, former DGP R Sreelekha, in Thiruvananthapuram corporation. Contesting from the same ward – Sasthamangalam – as Sreelekha, AAP’s Reshmi T S raised the issue of the ‘IPS’ tag with the returning officer on Tuesday morning.
While clarifying that she did not receive any intimation from the authorities, Sreelekha said she was unaware of any legal provisions that bar one from using such terms for an election campaign.
The ‘IPS’ tag displayed on posters and banners is now being either blackened with paint or mentioned alongside the term ‘Retd’.
Terming the use of the tag a grievous offence from someone who has held one of the highest law and order offices in the state, Reshmi said that cannot be seen as an accidental mistake.
“After I filed the complaint, the term started disappearing from the banners,” she said.
At the same time, Reshmi said she had not received any official information about any action taken on her complaint.
Responding to the issue, Sreelekha said she was not formally asked to take down the tag from any promotional material.
“I’m unaware of any law that bars one from using their job tag. If so, we shouldn’t see posters with ‘Adv’ tags to advocates either,” Sreelekha told the TNIE.
Stressing that people know her even without the ‘IPS’ tag, Sreelekha said she had asked party members to mention the term ‘IPS (Retd)’ on graffiti alone.
“I only asked my party workers to either take off the banners from the premises of the complainant’s home or to paint off the ‘IPS’ part if that disturbs her,” the former DGP added.