Congress, BJP clash over Centre’s budget on advertising
The Congress party and the BJP clashed on Thursday over the government’s expenditure on advertising and publicity. The Congress accused the government of misappropriating funds, while the BJP argued that it is a common practice in India.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh highlighted the issue of the budget for advertising and publicity, stating that each department and ministry has a distinct budget for such purposes. He claimed that on May 19, the ministry of finance ordered that 40% of the funds allocated for ‘Advertising and Publicity’ should be given to the Central Bureau of Communications (CBC) in the ministry of information and broadcasting. Ramesh argued that this would significantly increase the budget for CBC from Rs 200 crore to over Rs 750 crore for the current year.
Ramesh accused the CBC of being a propaganda machine for the Modi government and questioned the legitimacy of diverting funds allocated by Parliament to ministries. He described it as de facto misappropriation and a subversion of Parliament’s constitutional obligations.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari called the move “totally illegal” and warned that government publicity funds could be abused for political purposes in an election year.
In response, BJP co-in-charge Amit Malviya dismissed the allegations and explained that it is a common practice for one ministry to allocate funds to another within the government. He provided an example of the Central Public Works Department receiving funds in advance from different line ministries for construction and maintenance projects. Malviya argued that the CBC is responsible for communication solutions for the government and plays a role in disseminating information about government policies and programs. He emphasized that the practice of requesting advance allocation of funds is not unprecedented and was also done during the Congress-led UPA government’s time in power.
Malviya defended the government’s decision, stating that it was a common-sense move to ensure transparent accounting and avoid reconciliation issues. He referred to the order of merit and explained that the advance payment was requested to facilitate better reconciliation of transactions as outlined in the civil accounts manual.
In a subtle jab at Rahul Gandhi, Malviya remarked that with him leading the Congress, logic and common sense seemed to be lacking.
The Congress party and the BJP clashed on Thursday over the government’s expenditure on advertising and publicity. The Congress accused the government of misappropriating funds, while the BJP argued that it is a common practice in India. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh highlighted the issue of the budget for advertising and publicity, stating that each department…