The political parties are preparing their campaigns to run strong ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In the midst of all of this, state-run gas stations and fuel retailers have begun swapping out their old hoardings and banners promoting the welfare programs of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government with new ones that feature the BJP’s election slogan, “Modi ki Guarantee,” which reads, “Modi’s guarantee means a better life,” along with a picture of the PM handing cylinders to those who are the recipients of the government’s flagship program, Ujjwala Yojana.
The managers of every state-run fuel store have allegedly been urged to “cooperate” in order to guarantee that the new flex hoardings are set up by Wednesday. In the event that the hoarding vendors fail to report at their designated outlets, the managers are supposed to report to their respective field officers.
The public sector fuel companies, IndianOil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum, own or operate 90% of the approximately 88,000 gas pumps in the nation. The decision to erect the “Modi ki Guarantee” hoardings was made in response to an informal “nudge” from the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, the report continued. This decision will cost the companies several hundred crores.
However, these hoardings would be removed once the Election Commission (ECI) announces the schedule for the much-awaited general elections and the model code of conduct comes into force. Earlier in March 2021, ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, EC had, acting on a complaint from Trinamool Congress, asked petrol pumps to remove all hoardings carrying PM Modi’s picture.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came up with the poll slogan “Modi ki Guarantee” in the recently held legislative assembly elections of the five states including Rajasthan Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram where the saffron party emerged victorious in the three Hindi-belt states with a thumping majority.
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