Controversial Advertisements Spark Political Clash in Karnataka

BJP's Chalavadi Narayanaswamy has raised concerns over Congress government's advertisements in Karnataka, alleging they violate Supreme Court guidelines by politically critiquing the Centre’s VB-G RAM G Act using public funds. He urges action from the Content Regulation Committee to halt these ads and recover costs from responsible parties.

The leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, has penned a complaint to a committee within the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The missive seeks action against what he terms 'objectionable' advertisements issued by the Congress-led state government. These ads, he claims, contravene a Supreme Court judgment and misuse public funds for political purposes.

Narayanaswamy is calling for immediate intervention by the Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA) to halt these advertisements and pursue cost recovery from either the political party involved or responsible officials. The BJP leader has criticized a particular state government advertisement targeting the Centre's replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.

The ads, released by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, feature caricatures of Gandhi and a fictional character resembling an RSS member. Narayanaswamy argues that once a scheme has Parliament's nod and the President's assent, it becomes binding nationwide and should not be opposed through state-funded ads, highlighting legal and constitutional violations.

(With inputs from agencies.)