Both have spent crores of rupees, while the economic condition of both states is dire.
The Sunday Mail
Dehradun. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has surpassed former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal in terms of marketing himself and his government, leaving even larger states behind. The Dhami government has spent more than one thousand crore rupees in the last five years. Experts believe that if the BJP high command continues to retain Dhami as CM, the annual expenditure will increase manyfold. Governments generally spend more during election years. This amount is significantly high for an economically backward state. Even the governments of capable and large states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat do not spend so much on enhancing their image. The tradition of spending large sums on advertising to manage the media was started by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal as soon as he became Chief Minister of Delhi. During the time of Sheila Dikshit, The budget was increased several times. The BJP and several opposition parties accused the Aam Aadmi Party of wasting money. The BJP even made it an election issue. There were even allegations that media houses were summoned and warned for reporting or writing negative news. The Aam Aadmi Party lost the election in Delhi but is still in power in Punjab. Even there, the AAP government has adopted its Delhi formula, spending vast sums on advertisements. Chief Minister Bhagwat Mann appears on every channel within seconds. National channels air similar Punjab government advertisements simultaneously, costing crores of rupees. The Punjab government itself is seeking central government assistance due to the state’s dire state. Today, Punjab Chief Minister Mann and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami appear to be competing for marketing spending. Both governments are enjoying the public’s wealth, as neither Chief Minister has to pay from their own pockets. While the Punjab government showcases its own schemes, the Uttarakhand government’s advertisements largely feature central government schemes. In the past five years, no new developments have been undertaken at the state level in Uttarakhand for which the government can take credit. Not a single new district, government hospital, medical college, engineering college, or anything new has been created that could have benefited the people of the hills. Advertisements emphasize photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and mostly highlight central government schemes. Publicity is shown to be happening. CM Dhami, in order to get closer to the Sangh, definitely took such decisions which could bring him in their eyes. From changing the name to targeting other communities, he has been successful in diverting attention from the real issues. Recently, the land scam of crores of rupees in Mussoorie also disappeared in the agitation of unemployed youth. Congress also stopped speaking on the scam. Whereas Congress had announced to raise many other scams. The name of Yoga Guru Balkrishna’s company had come up in the Mussoorie scam. There is a question among the common people that why did the unemployed movement happen at the time when the Mussoorie scam came to light. Although this movement was successful in openly voicing anger against the Dhami government over the corruption that has spread. Regardless of what the Dhami government may say in its defense, the central leadership is concerned and angry about the corruption issue. The election year will begin with the new year. Corruption has become a major issue on social media and other media outlets. Corruption has also become rampant in marketing. Crores of rupees have been allocated to channels ranging from Doordarshan to small and large. The situation is more or less the same in print media. Laws and regulations are being ignored, and Uttarakhand’s development is being promoted as if it has become a prosperous state. Politics is also being degraded to suppress corruption. Instead of taking everyone along, regional priorities are being prioritized. Prime Minister Modi’s slogan of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” has weakened in Uttarakhand.
