NEW DELHI: A day after a Centre-appointed panel indicted the AAP government for allegedly splurging exchequer’s money on advertisements and violating Supreme Court guidelines, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday questioned the neutrality of the commission.
While party spokesperson Ashutosh described the panel’s ruling as a “ploy to defame” the Kejriwal dispensation, health minister Satyendra Jain targeted the BJP-ruled municipal corporations saying they too were violating these norms. They said the Delhi government will explain its stand before the Supreme Court.
The three-member committee, headed by ex-chief election commissioner B B Tandon, had been set up by the I&B ministry on the SC’s directions to address issues related to content regulation in government advertising. The panel comprised adman Piyush Pandey and journalist Rajat Sharma. The SC directed the Centre to constitute the panel on a complaint filed by Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken against the government’s advertisement blitzkrieg. Ashutosh said the committee’s remarks were an example of the Congress and the BJP coming together.
In its report, the committee said the government had splurged exchequer’s money on advertisements projecting Kejriwal and his party in violation of SC guidelines and asked the party to reimburse the money.