"Ornamental Post": AAP vs Lt Governor On Rs 1.5-Crore Social Media Spend

AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena of using his office for political reasons ahead of elections.

Opening another front in their long-running battle, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Saxena are now at loggerheads over an agency being hired by Mr Saxena's office at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore a year allegedly to "boost his image". 

Questioning why a person holding an "ornamental" post needed to burden taxpayers by issuing a tender to hire an agency to manage his social media presence and burnish his image, Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Delhi has had many lieutenant governors, but we have never seen someone paying an agency Rs 1.5 crore a year to manage his social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram and X."

Taking a dig at Mr Saxena, Mr Bharadwaj continued, "He has been active on social media for two years but he does not get any retweets. He is not liked by people so he is not popular. What is the point of doing this before the elections? The lieutenant governor's post is an ornamental one. He is supposed to stay within his boundaries and work, but he is doing this before the elections to use his office for political reasons."