New Delhi: Delhi BJP on Wednesday appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee to take immediate action on Lokayukta`s recommendation against Delhi Chief Minister and PWD Minister for publication of their photographs on a form offering loan to entrepreneurs from backward communities.
Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel has already written a letter to the President demanding action based on recommendation of Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin.
The Lokayukta on Monday had recommended to the President to issue an "advisory" to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan asking them to desist from publication of their photographs on the loan form.
"Out of Delhi government`s 178 departments, 58 departments have spent around Rs 100 crore on misleading advertising and public relation campaigns over the last three years in gross violation of all norms," Goel alleged.
"This is not the first time that this government has been indicted by the Lokayukta for its corrupt practices. This government has brazenly carried on with its loot of the resources through blatant use of official machinery," he added.
The Lokayukta order had come in response to a complaint filed last year by BJP leader Harsh Vardhan, who objected to publication of the photographs on the loan form, saying it was aimed at getting "undue political gain" from intended beneficiaries.
Seeking to block photographs of Dikshit and Chouhan on the forms, the Lokayukta had recommended to Mukherjee that a direction be issued to the Delhi government to frame appropriate guidelines for issuance of advertisements, hoardings etc featuring photographs of public functionaries.
"The Congress government has been insulting the institution of Lokayukta by not paying any heed to its reports. It is unfortunate that even the President and the Lieutenant Governor have also ignored the repeated recommendations of Lokayukta," Goel claimed.
PTI
