The Hindu : Rules flouted as war over hoardings hots up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 21, 2003

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Rules flouted as war over hoardings hots up

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI SEPT. 20. Throwing all norms to the winds and signalling the start of a new phase in the battle for Delhi, a hoardings war has begun between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party across the city. Huge portraits, hoardings and posters have come up at vantage points in favour of both the parties and their leaders.

In fact, much of the present mess is being attributed to over-enthusiastic supporters or local leaders who are in the running for the party nominations and want to impress their leaders. Interestingly, the hoardings have come up on electricity poles, road islands and roundabouts which are categorised as commercial and the civic bodies charge the company or individual a specified amount. What is surprising is that the BJP, led by its Delhi unit president, Madan Lal Khurana, has raked up the hoarding scam issue frequently in the past alleging that such vantage positions were allotted to a company by the Congress-led Government in Delhi at very low rates causing a loss to the exchequer. But the same Mr. Khurana is now silent when his own party and supporters are putting up hoardings and portraits of a smiling Mr. Khurana all over the city.

It all started last month when huge cut-outs of Mr. Khurana and his "Parivartan Yatra" made an appearance in various parts of the city. Huge portraits of the BJP leader suddenly came up also on electricity poles and at roundabouts, particularly in Central Delhi. The cardboard portraits of Mr. Khurana were later sent to other parts of the city. In fact, a large consignment of the portraits is still lying at the Delhi office of the BJP. In addition, huge hoardings on the Parivartan Yatra made an appearance at various roundabouts across the city. Hoardings were also put up at main crossings highlighting the achievements of the Vajpayee Government and how the Metro Rail was introduced successfully in Delhi by the Central Government.

It is not clear if the political parties had paid the civic agencies any money for putting up these portraits and hoardings.

On the other hand, the Congress too has decided to step up the tempo and counter the BJP propaganda on this front. Within days, the road, walls and footpaths outside Talkatora Road office of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee were plastered with posters and huge hoardings in praise of the local leaders, DPCC president, Chaudhary Prem Singh, and the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit. This was not limited to the party office, but major roundabouts and road islands across the city saw Congress hoardings coming up. But the flavour of the hoardings depended on the person who was putting it up and whose area it was. But the clear favourites were the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, the AICC incharge Delhi, Ahmed Patel, and Mr. Prem Singh. In addition, hoardings of leaders like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler have made an appearance in their strongholds. But clearly no effort has been made to go by the rules and blatant violations have become the order of the day. With the war for Delhi likely to hot up in the coming days, such violations are bound to rise in view of the failure of the agencies concerned to take these parties and individuals to task for violating the law.

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Rules flouted as war over hoardings hots up