As per the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) topped the rankings of advertisers across all TV channels for the week that ended on November 16, prompting the Congress to question its electoral funding. The Congress on Friday demanded that the Election Commission take note of the data and asses the impact of BJP’s advertisement spending on the ongoing polls in five states.
“These advertisement spends by the BJP reflect a clear nexus between big businesses and big politicians… This is crony capitalism personified, this is the quintessential ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’,” Congress leader Manish Tewari told the media here citing the BARC data.
Slamming the Narendra Modi government for turning electoral funding “far more opaque” through the electoral bond schemes, the Congress demanded that the Election Commission intervene in the matter.
“The EC must summon this BARC data and need to find out how much money India’s top advertiser (BJP) has spent on these advertisements.
“We demand the EC take suo-motu cognisance of the BARC data, translate it into monetary spends and see what is the impact on the electoral process. The EC must take serious cognisance of its impact on the probity transparency and integrity of the electoral process,” said the former Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
He also said the electoral bonds scheme has made political funding very opaque giving rise to crony capitalism.
Post Your Comments