The Hindu : National : “AI gave Rs. 22 crore for Praful for campaigning”

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Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009
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“AI gave Rs. 22 crore for Praful for campaigning”

Shyam Ranganathan

CHENNAI: Crisis-ridden Air India might have contributed a substantial amount to the advertising campaign of the Civil Aviation Ministry on the eve of the General Elections in April-May 2009, says D. Sudhakara Reddy, president of Air Passengers Association of India, based on a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) petition filed by him.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue, Mr. Reddy said a series of advertisements featuring Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and the achievements of the Ministry were released on the eve of the elections with a caption containing the names of different partners with whose association the advertisements were released.

Among those mentioned were, Air India, the Airports Authority of India and other companies of the aviation industry.

When Mr. Reddy filed a petition with the Civil Aviation Secretary under the RTI Act asking for information on the total budget earmarked for the campaign, the objective of the campaign and the means of funding, he received a reply stating only that the Ministry had not incurred any expenditure for the campaign.

Citing lack of sufficient information, Mr. Reddy appealed further to receive a reply from the Ministry that the cost was shared by the airlines and airport operators.

Speaking to The Hindu on this issue, Mr. Reddy cited a figure of Rs.22 crore as the cost of the campaign. “Air India is in a severe financial crisis but it contributed to the campaign. When the entire aviation sector is suffering, how is it fair to ask airlines to shell out such sums of money?” he asked.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, he said: “In our view…the object of the campaign was only to project the achievements of the Minister in order to improve his election prospects. …It is nothing but an indirect form of donation...”

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