The angry AAP man: MLA Pankaj Pushkar now speaks out against Delhi govt's budget for ads

New Delhi: AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar ko gussa kyoon aata hai? (Why does the AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar get angry?) Probably taking a leaf out of Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s acclaimed Hindi film of 1981 - Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai - Pankaj Pushkar is the only Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA in Delhi, out of the total 67, who raises his voice against the party’s functioning from time-to-time. [caption id=“attachment_2375812” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Pankaj Pushkar. Image Courtesy: Twitter/Pankaj Pushkar[/caption] Whether it was related to AAP’s decision to throw out its senior leaders Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and others, or non-implementation of ‘Swaraj’ within the party – this MLA from Timarpur constituency in North Delhi never shied away from questioning the AAP’s top leadership. A fresh salvo fired by him is related to Delhi government’s large spending on advertisements to promote itself on one hand, and to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the other. The Delhi government’s decision to set aside Rs 526 crore in its annual budget for publicity and advertisement has been severely criticized by opposition parties too. “I’ve questioned the government for spending such a large sum on advertisements, which is basically self-promotion. We have questioned other political parties for misusing public money, but now the AAP government too is wasting the tax-payers’ money. This money could have been utilized for development purpose. Moreover, it’s the violation of Supreme Court order that public money can’t be used for political propaganda. A government can release ads to make people aware about its schemes and announcements,” Pushkar told Firstpost. But, as expected, he’s facing the party’s wrath for his constant barbs. Even earlier, Pushkar never met AAP rebels like Yogendra Yadav surreptitiously, but kept it in the open. The AAP has appointed an observer in Timarpur, Pushkar’s constituency, to deal with the public, rather than depending on the local MLA. Pushkar has reportedly been barred from participating in the party meetings. “The party is subtly putting impediments in my functioning. AAP came into being on the promise of an alternative politics. Public supported us with money, manpower and gave up their jobs to be a part of the AAP movement. It was more like a cooperative society, with participation of all the members. But, now the party has become a ‘private limited company’. They are trying to spy upon my activities and are preventing an elected representative of the people from functioning, which is illegal and unconstitutional. The party has openly declared that I have been boycotted and they would get someone to even sign documents on my behalf. I’m paying the price for being forthright. Neither have I ever blamed any individual, nor did I harbour hatred against anyone. I’ve only questioned the wrong decisions and actions of the party, which were unethical. Like, the character of heroes depicted in old Hindi films, I’ve tried to maintain goodwill with all within the party and outside,” added Pushkar. Pushkar’s allegation against AAP has found support in AAP’s expelled leader Yogendra Yadav’s statement, who too criticised the wastage of public money on advertisements. “By releasing costly ads, the Delhi government has wasted public money. It’s the tax-payers’ money that the Delhi government has used to promote itself. This could have been utilized for the benefit of the people of Delhi,” remarked Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan. Claimed Delhi BJP spokesperson, Ashwini Upadhyay, “AAP came to power with the promise of making Delhi corruption-free. But, now they are wasting public money for self-promotion and misleading the public by making false claims. Delhi government doubled the education budget and increased allocation in health by one and a half times, which they publicized widely, but remained silent over the publicity budget of Rs 526 crore, which is 2200% more than the previous year’s. The AAP government is indulging in nepotism. The Delhi government has released ads in the newspapers of other states as well. Through these ads, it is siphoning off public money.” “What happened to the Jan Lokpal Bill that AAP had promised to bring within 15 days of assuming power? Why is there no electricity in several bylanes of the city? How can a state government question and blame the Prime Minister for its own failures and inefficiency?” questioned Upadhyay. A day after the former President, APJ Abdul Kalam died on 27 July, the Kejriwal government announced the removal of ads and posters critical of Narendra Modi, citing the reason to be a “mark of respect for the departed soul”. “Every member, volunteer and MLA is expected to maintain party discipline and work within the stated guidelines. Pushkar went out of his way to attack the party leadership and questioned the decisions taken unanimously by top leadership. His actions are unwarranted,” a senior member of AAP said.