BJP attacks AAP over 'advertisement scam', demands CBI inquiry

NEW DELHI: Following this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting formed the three-member Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising CCRGA in 2016.Even after the Supreme Court guidelines, the Aam Aadmi Party continued to violate the guidelines as it had been doing before, Bidhuri alleged.

The Delhi BJP on Tuesday attacked the AAP over Lt Governor V K Saxena directing the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the ruling party for ''political advertisements''.

Addressing a press conference held here, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged an ''advertisement scam'' in the city government and demanded a CBI inquiry into it.

''We see an advertisement scam here, and demand a CBI inquiry into it. We will approach the LG in this regard,'' he said.

Bidhuri also claimed that the amount to be recovered from the ruling party in Delhi would rise to Rs 400 crore.

There was no immediate reaction to this from the AAP.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and the Delhi BJP's working president Virendra Sachdeva were also present during the press conference.

Delhi Lt Governor Saxena has directed the chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from the Aam Aadmi Party for political advertisements it published in the guise of government advertisements, official sources said on Tuesday.

The Delhi government's Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP), acting on a 2016 directive from a Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had notified that Rs 97.14 crore (Rs 97,14,69,137) had been spent or booked on account of ''non-conforming advertisements'', they said.

The BJP leaders welcomed the direction by the LG to recover Rs 97 crore from the AAP. They also referred to the Supreme Court guidelines issued a few years ago.

In 2015, the apex court had postulated guidelines to regulate government advertising and eliminate unproductive expenditure. Following this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting formed the three-member Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA) in 2016.

Even after the Supreme Court guidelines, the Aam Aadmi Party ''continued to violate'' the guidelines as it had been doing before, Bidhuri alleged.