BJP charges AP govt of misleading people

Hyderabad, Nov 1 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party took strong objection to the Andhra Pradesh Government releasing multi-page advertisements in newspapers.

In a letter to Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, a copy of which was released to the press, BJP State President and former Union Minister B Dattatraya contended that the Government was using propoganda to mislead people and resorting to wasting tax payers money to gain public mileage by presenting their advertisemnt in form of news.

''Never before in the history of any government in India, had the state or the Central government released such multi-page advertisements. Never before the government advertisement space is used by the incumbent government to settle political scores with the opposition parties. Government in a democracy is expected to be neutral. Therefore the government money cannot be used to criticise opposition parties. But this government has thrown all norms to winds and used advertisement space to criticise the opposition parties and spread lies'', he contended.

He recalled that Dr Reddy while in the opposition had criticised the then TDP Government for spending people's money on advertisements. ''But he is doing the same in fact on a much larger scale'', he claimed.

What was highly objectionable about today's advertisement was duplication by various departments, he said adding that it was sheer waste of the space and the government money.

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