New Delhi: The Gujarat government has spent Rs 8.81 crore on advertisements that laud Prime Minister Narendra Modi and celebrate him, a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by BBC Gujarati has found. 

While celebrating 10, 15 or 25 years of something could have been considered normal, the concerned advertisements came to light as it oddly celebrated 23 years of Modi holding a public office – as chief minister of Gujarat and then as prime minister.

According to the BBC report, on October 7, 2024, some advertisements of the Gujarat government were seen, one of which was on ‘23 years of successful and capable leadership' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding public office. 

Another advertisement in the same series that was published in a major Gujarati daily newspaper read ‘Development Week - 23 years of successful and capable leadership’. Another half-page vertical advertisement, also published in the daily, read ‘From 7 October 2001 - Gujarat has gained faith in development’.

Messages like "Congratulations to the visionary of a developed India, the luminary of Gujarat's pride, the man of development and the successful Prime Minister, Shri Narendrabhai Modi" were all over these advertisements.

The broadcaster had filed an RTI application with the Gujarat Information Commission of the state government seeking details regarding the expenditure incurred on these advertisements. In response, the commission informed that a total of Rs 8,81,01,941 was spent on just these two advertisements across print, electronic, digital and social media.

According to the RTI response, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel informed that the publicity branch of the Gujarat Information Commission had spent approximately Rs 2.12 crore on advertisements in newspapers congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completing 23 years in public office.

Meanwhile, in a second RTI application, the broadcaster received two replies. In one of them, an estimated Rs. 3,04,98,000 was spent through the publicity branch of the Information Commission for giving advertisements in newspapers under 'Vikas Sapta' (Development Week), while in the other, it was reported that the deputy director of information of the commission had spent approximately Rs. 3,64,03,941 for 'Vikas Sapta' publicity on electronic, digital and social media.

Thus, the total expenditure amounted to approximately Rs 8.81 crore.

Responding to BBC’s queries regarding the advertisement, BJP Gujarat spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said that any such expenditure was “beyond my knowledge” and that even if it was spent, “all government expenditure is audited as per the rules”.

"The expenditure figure you have is beyond my knowledge, I have no official evidence of it. Therefore, I cannot make any statement on this matter," Dave told BBC Gujarat.

"When the government makes any expenditure, every rupee spent is audited. If there is any wrong expenditure, if there is any expenditure to brighten someone's image or if there is any expenditure contrary to the constitutional provisions, then the auditors take it into account. And that also comes in the CAG report. No such wrongdoing happens anywhere in the government," he added.

Meanwhile, political and legal experts are calling this expenditure “completely unjustified” and “a waste of public money”. 

Notably, the Supreme Court had in 2015, following a Common Cause PIL, formed a committee to look into use of public funds for government advertisements and publicity of government schemes. 

The three-member Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA), in its guidelines, clearly stated that political neutrality should be maintained in government advertisements and that glorification of any politician should be avoided in advertisements.

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