New Delhi: Delhi Minister of Information and Publicity Atishi on Thursday took strong action against officials from the Department of Information and Publicity (DIP) for publishing an Independence Day advertisement that did not feature a photo of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Atishi issued a show cause notice to the Director and Secretary of DIP, asking why they ignored written instructions and released the ad without the Chief Minister’s image.
What Atishi said
The issue stems from a directive that Atishi gave on August 14, in which she approved a full-page Independence Day advertisement that was supposed to feature the Chief Minister’s photograph, in keeping with the tradition of previous years. However, despite these clear instructions and approval, the DIP released a half-page advertisement on August 15, which excluded Kejriwal’s image and was done without the minister’s approval.
In the notice, Atishi called this action a “complete violation” of her instructions and labelled it as “deliberate disobedience” and “gross misconduct.” She questioned why action should not be taken against the officials involved and demanded a reply within three days of receiving the notice.
Furthermore, Atishi raised the possibility of recovering the cost of the unapproved advertisements from the salaries of the responsible officials. She emphasised that, under the rules, the Information and Broadcasting Minister is the authorised decision-maker for matters relating to DIP, and any deviation from approved procedures is unacceptable.
CM represents core values of democracy and freedom: Atishi
Atishi said that the Chief Minister, as the head of Delhi’s democratically elected government, represents the core values of democracy and freedom, and his photo was meant to symbolise these values in the Independence Day advertisement. The exclusion of his photo, she said, was not only a breach of protocol but also undermined the significance of the Chief Minister’s role in the government.
The notice also cited several legal provisions and regulations, including the GNCTD Act, Article 239 AA of the Constitution, a Supreme Court ruling from 2018, and the All India Services (Conduct) Rules of 1968. These, Atishi claimed, were violated by the DIP’s actions.