Aam Aadmi Party ad slammed for sexism
Yogendra Yadav accused the city government of indulging in ‘political corruption’
New Delhi: Launching an offensive against the Aam Aadmi Party over a recent advertisement, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav on Monday accused the city government of indulging in "political corruption." Mr Yadav said the AAP government was using public money in glorifying one person despite the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court against such ads.
“This is a form of political corruption as it is using public money for the advertisements. The AAP had come to power by promising new type of politics. But by coming up with such an advertisement, it is getting into the league of Mayawati and Jayalalitha,” the former AAP leader, who was expelled from the party after he upped ante against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, said. Last week, another Swaraj Abhiyan leader and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan in a series of tweets said the ad amounted to a “crass” projection of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal apart from being “crude abuse” of funds, which was “against a Supreme Court order.”
“Apart from being a crass and crude abuse of funds the Kejriwal ad on TV is sexist and projects women as servants of their husbands. Shocking,” Bhushan, a senior Supreme Court lawyer had tweeted. Decrying “personality cult” as an anti-thesis of democracy, the Supreme Court has barred publication of photos of leaders in government advertisements except those of the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India.
“The guideline of the order clearly states that any government advertisement should avoid the glorification of political personalities and and such glorification of an individual at the cost of public exchequer be stopped in a Delhi,” the group said in a statement.