The Kerala government has once again splashed full-page ads with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s face on national dailies despite a warning from the major ally of the ruling LDF against extravaganza using public money and creating a culture of “personality cult” within the Left.
The Vijayan government, which completes its first one year in office today, front-paged ads in major English newspapers declaring, ‘This Is Just The Start Of Something Beautiful’. It listed some of the government’s initiatives saying, ‘Here’s How Kerala Is Setting A New Standard In Governance’.
The ads have appeared only in English newspapers’ Delhi editions. Curiously, the largest circulated The Times of India does not have it. Probably The Times of India had a more lucrative two-page advertisement by Vedanta for the day.
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The anniversary advertisement tom-toms a CMS-ICS recognition to the state as the least corrupt state in India and a PAI award to the state as the best governed state as the achievements of Vijayan government. It has also listed two news items from the state that made headlines in the national media as government’s achievements --- employment for transgenders in Kochi Metro and introduction of fat tax.
Last year, Vijayan had faced flaks after he carried advertisements to celebrate his swearing-in and the completion of 100 years in office. The CPI, which is the major ally in the ruling LDF, had questioned the extravaganza using public money and creating a personality cult.
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According to a report in The Indian Express, CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy had then said that one need not spend so much money on such advertisements. He had also said that instead of saying Vijayan government, it would have been appropriate if the advertisement had said LDF government. “Generally, this type of personality cult is not there in the Communist and Left parties. Personality cult should not be encouraged,” he had added.
According to industry sources, it costs around Rs. 12 lakh for a front-page advertisement on the Delhi editions of major newspapers. It is a concession rate for government ads as it costs around Rs. 25 lakh for the same space for commercial clients.
In another instance, Vijayan’s ad campaign had courted controversy after his government put out ads to defend the police action against the mother of a college student who was demanding comprehensive enquiry into her son’s death.
