The political tussle among Congress and BJP leaders over greater public visibility today manifested in the Modi government deciding to do away with definitive stamps on former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress seeking to stall PM Narendra Modi's monthly radio show.
In a subtext, the Centre also announced to remove the name of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra from the list allowing “exemption from frisking” at airports.
As political temperature begins to rise in the backdrop of forthcoming elections to the 243-member Bihar Assembly next month, both parties began sparring with the Congress-led alliance petitioning the Election Commission for an immediate ban on the broadcast/telecast of PM Modi's "Mann ki Baat" this Sunday, citing violation of the model code of conduct.
The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United) said the programme would be broadcast on a government media and that the use of official machinery should not be permitted when elections had been declared and the model code was likely to be violated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief campaigner for the BJP in Bihar and the telecast of Mann ki Baat would spoil the level playing field, which is the basis for free and fair elections, they said.
While the move may not have been taken in tandem, the government decision to discontinue postage stamps on Indira and Rajiv Gandhi on the ground that just one family cannot have this honour, added a leaf to the widening controversy.
Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decision on stamps was based on the recommendations of the Philatelic Advisory Committee that also suggested that definitive stamps be issued in honour of leaders such as Syama Prasad Mukerjee, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh Jaiprakash Narayan and others.
"In the definitive stamp series, the focus was (so far) on one family... though other names were there. Mahatma Gandhi was there, Maulana Azad was there, Dr Ambedkar was there and Dr Bhabha was there," Prasad said.
Meanwhile, the BJP interpreted the Congress move over “Mann ki Baat” as an act of desperation realising that the grand alliance in Bihar was staring at a defeat in the Assembly elections. BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said the alliance's move was "childish". The Congress had made a similar demand during the previous assembly elections, including in Haryana, but the EC had rejected the demand, he said.
In a subtext, the Centre also announced to remove the name of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra from the list allowing “exemption from frisking” at airports.
As political temperature begins to rise in the backdrop of forthcoming elections to the 243-member Bihar Assembly next month, both parties began sparring with the Congress-led alliance petitioning the Election Commission for an immediate ban on the broadcast/telecast of PM Modi's "Mann ki Baat" this Sunday, citing violation of the model code of conduct.
The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United) said the programme would be broadcast on a government media and that the use of official machinery should not be permitted when elections had been declared and the model code was likely to be violated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief campaigner for the BJP in Bihar and the telecast of Mann ki Baat would spoil the level playing field, which is the basis for free and fair elections, they said.
While the move may not have been taken in tandem, the government decision to discontinue postage stamps on Indira and Rajiv Gandhi on the ground that just one family cannot have this honour, added a leaf to the widening controversy.
Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decision on stamps was based on the recommendations of the Philatelic Advisory Committee that also suggested that definitive stamps be issued in honour of leaders such as Syama Prasad Mukerjee, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh Jaiprakash Narayan and others.
"In the definitive stamp series, the focus was (so far) on one family... though other names were there. Mahatma Gandhi was there, Maulana Azad was there, Dr Ambedkar was there and Dr Bhabha was there," Prasad said.
Meanwhile, the BJP interpreted the Congress move over “Mann ki Baat” as an act of desperation realising that the grand alliance in Bihar was staring at a defeat in the Assembly elections. BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said the alliance's move was "childish". The Congress had made a similar demand during the previous assembly elections, including in Haryana, but the EC had rejected the demand, he said.
