150 Crores in three months in advertisement: The reason why media isn’t talking about Kejriwal’s failures

The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc across the country and the capital city Delhi is faring no better, largely thanks to the inefficient handling of the situation by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has been allegedly trying to hide his failures by buying the media. RTI shared by one Alok Bhatt, a Twitter user, revealed that Rs 32.52 crore was spent by the Kejriwal government on advertisements in January 2021, Rs 25.33 crore in February 2021, and Rs 92.48 crore in March 2021.

The reply specifies that the total expenditure includes advertisements and publicity through print media, electronic media as well as the internet. With such hefty amounts gifted to the numerous publications and digital media platforms, it is finally revealed why Kejriwal led Delhi government has not got the stick from the media, unlike the BJP leaders who, for all practical reasons have been crucified by the ‘unbiased’ media.

Congress party which is usually in the midst of such controversies took it as an opportunity to target Kejriwal. Senior leader Ajay Maken alleged that the Delhi government spent Rs 355 crore on advertisement and publicity in the last year and another Rs 467 crore has been earmarked as publicity budget for this year.

With a total of Rs 822 crore being spent on advertisements and publicity on Delhi in the last two years, one can set up as many as 800 oxygen plants, adding 750 metric tonnes capacity of oxygen, but the government will not take such a step in public welfare, he alleged.

Such has been the expenditure of the AAP administration on advertisements that the Delhi Government has allegedly failed to set up a mechanism to collect oxygen from suppliers and deliver it to hospitals. AAP has now reportedly resorted to publishing ads in the newspaper, pleading and begging for ‘good Samaritan’ businessmen to come forward and pull it out of its misery.

https://twitter.com/GabbbarSingh/status/1386567659488043008

It is imperative to note that the central government had allocated funds from the ‘PM CARES fund’ to the AAP government to build 8 oxygen plants but all Kejriwal could manage to build was one, solitary plant. After being rapped by the High Court, the Kejriwal government could not muster a response and stood there with its pants down.

https://twitter.com/advmonikaarora/status/1385585750050185226

And it is not only that Kejriwal has failed in building the oxygen plant infrastructure — reported previously by TFI, RTI pleas filed by one Tejpal Singh revealed that contrary to the tall claims made by the AAP government, no hospital had been commissioned, nor had any flyovers been constructed in Delhi between the years 2015 to 2019.

Read more: RTI response proves that no flyovers or Hospitals have been built since Kejriwal became the CM

The first RTI reply from the Directorate of Health Services, Delhi confirmed that “as per information available in Hospital cell of DGHS, it is informed that No new hospital has been commissioned under Delhi government, during the period from April 2015 to 31st March 2019.” This is the period of Arvind Kejriwal’s first tenure as Chief Minister.

The claims of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), of having added 40,000 new hospital beds in the national capital also stand debunked, now that the RTI reply has made it clear that no new hospitals were commissioned from 2015 to 2019. The Kejriwal government seems to have really done no actual work and has instead focused on PR to make people believe that it is actually governing and developing Delhi.