CHENNAI: A BJP office-bearer on Wednesday affixed bright portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on billboards put up here as part of the Tamil Nadu government's publicity campaign for the 44th Chess Olympiad, set to commence on July 28.
Amar Prasad Reddy, president of the sports and skill development cell of Tamil Nadu BJP, released a video clip of him fixing photographs of Modi on hoardings, along with two others.
He posted the clip on his Twitter handle. In the video, the Saffron party functionary blamed the DMK-regime for going ahead with the campaign for the chess event without including Modi's photograph and termed it a 'huge mistake.
Reddy said that the Olympiad is not a state-level event but are international tournament.
"This is not a DMK party function. This is a government (sponsored) event. Prime Minister's photograph must be featured," he said in the video clip.
He also urged office-bearers, party workers and those in the BJP's sports and skill development cell to emulate him and fix portraits of Modi on hoardings for the Chess Olympiad across Tamil Nadu.
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Asked if he has taken permission from authorities to fix the portraits of Modi on hoardings, he retorted: "Should Prime Minister's photograph be a part of the campaign or not? Prime Minister Modi Ji's portraits must definitely be part of the publicity campaign."
When asked again, Reddy told PTI that he has not taken permission from authorities to stick Modi's photographs on billboards. He said he started fixing Prime Minister's portraits on hoardings on Wednesday.
The 44th Chess Olympiad, to be held at nearby Mamallapuram, starts on July 28 and ends on August 10. The state government has allocated Rs 92.13 crore for conducting the event.