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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo being used in ads for Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio was bound to generate debate, which it did.
Questioning this now is Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman KV Thomas.
Finding an issue of probity in Modi’s appearance in the advertisements of Reliance Jio, Thomas has written to Modi, questioning the Prime Minister’s Office’s (PMO) decision to allow a private company to use the images of the PM for the advertisement of a private entity. Thomas said in the letter that such a move eroded the credibility of the Prime Minister as an institution.
“As I understand, the Prime Minister’s photographs cannot be used without the permission of the PMO even by government departments. The situation now is that a video clip of considerable length of the PM is played by a private commercial entity for promoting its business,” Thomas said without naming Reliance Jio.
“Your government has eroded the credibility of the Prime Minister as an institution by associating with promotion of private profit motivated ventures,” he added.
Thomas told BusinessLine : “How can the PMO allow a telecom and IT giant to use the PM’s picture in their advertisement ? It is an issue of probity. The PMO must have taken this into consideration before allowing the company to use the images of the PM.”
A report of the Comptroller & Auditor General, which pulled up the Telecom Ministry for allowing an “undue advantage” of ₹3,367.29 crore to Reliance Jio Infocomm, is pending with the PAC.
Thomas also submitted a 17-point “chargesheet” against the Centre in the letter stating that “... Your eagerness is seen many times in your attempts to get many Bills passed without being scrutinised by the established Standing Committees.”
Thomas, a veteran Congress leader, also alleged that the Modi government is trying to bypass the Rajya Sabha. “Your government is eager to treat every financial bill as a money bill, by getting the certificate of the Speaker. Because of the respect reposed on the institution of Speaker, your attempt is not opposed by the judiciary but the intellectuals and constitutional experts are watching you,” he said.
Further, Thomas said, by keeping core ministries such as industries, commerce, environmental and forest, coal, communication, programme implementation and steel under the Ministers of States, the PMO has acquired the powers of policy making in them and converted the parliamentary form of government to presidential form of government, without a constitutional amendment.
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