Sunday, November 25, 2012

‘State govt ads spreading hatred against Centre’


Gujarat EDN
DNA  31AUG2012

DNA Correspondent l Ahmedabad

A PIL has been filed in the Gujarat high court challenging the advertisements aired by local Gujarati TV channels alleging injustices caused to the people of Gujarat on various issues by the Central government. The advertisements had been given to the channels by the state government using public funds, the PIL has alleged.
After primary hearing of the PIL, the bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice JB Pardiwala asked the petitioner to come up with more details about the facts and the relevant law that could boost the PIL’s claim.
One Janak Parmar has filed the PIL through his lawyer Ruturaj Nanavati claiming that the state government had used public funds to threaten the sovereign and territorial integrity of the Indian Union.
The PIL has also raised the issue that such advertisements spread hatred among the people of Gujarat against the Centre. The state has violated the Constitution of India by issuing such advertisements, and the Union government should frame rules and guidelines to curb provocative adverts, the PIL said.
It may be mentioned here that an advertisement war has started between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress ahead of the assembly polls in the state.
Some advertisements were aired on local Gujarati news channels alleging that the Congress-led Union government had been unjust to the people of Gujarat on the issue of providing CNG at lower rates and cutting the quota of kerosene made available through the public distribution system, among others.
The petitioner has claimed that the advertisements had been sponsored by the state government which had used public funds for the purpose.