Haryana govt. bought 10 Bhagvad Gita copies for ₹3.8 lakh, reveals RTI plea

RTI reply on International Gita Mahotsav lands Haryana government in the dock

President Ram Nath Kovind with Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar performing Gita Yagna to inaugurate International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra on November 25, 2017.

The BJP government in Haryana spent close to ₹3.8 lakh to buy 10 copies of the Bhagavad Gita during the International Gita Mahotsav last November.

After an RTI query revealed the figure, the Opposition is demanding an investigation, terming the purchase a misuse of taxpayers’ money.

In a reply to an application filed under the Right to Information Act by Rahul Sehrawat of Hisar, the Kurukshetra Development Board has revealed that the government had spent ₹3,79,500 on the 10 copies. Besides, ₹15 lakh was paid to Hema Malini, MP and ₹10 lakh to Delhi BJP president and artist Manoj Tiwari for their performance at the event, as per the reply.

Sources said the copies of the Gita were printed on special paper to give it the look of a manuscript, hence the high cost. These books were given to various dignitaries who attended the event.

As per the RTI reply, ₹1.11 crore was spent on repairs of the sarovar (pond) at the site of the event, which the Opposition parties say was already in good shape.

While Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar maintained that the money spent on the event was in “public interest”, Dushyant Chautala, MP from the Indian National Lok Dal, said it was blatant misuse of taxpayers’ money.

“I will be approaching the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) to seek an inquiry into the organising of the entire event. I fail to understand how the government can justify the purchase at such an exorbitant price,” Mr. Chautala told The Hindu .

“Not only this, the government paid huge amounts to Ms. Hema Malini and Mr. Manoj Tiwari, which is unfortunate,” he added.

The Congress said the incident only showed the priorities of the ruling BJP government. Former Minister and senior Congress leader Kiran Choudhary said: “Instead of spending the money on public welfare, they [BJP] are spending public money on such events. While the government shies away from spending on development work, it has enough money to cater to the VIPs,” she said. “People of Haryana are watching and the BJP won’t be able to mislead them for long,” she added.