We are trustees of public exchequer, not owners: Nitish Kumar lashes out at BJP government

Apparently hitting out at the BJP-led government at the Centre for spending a lot of money on advertisements, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on 15 November, said "unlike them" he follows words of Mahatma Gandhi that "we are trustee of public exchequer and not owner". He also highlighted the ill effects of social media as practised on 15 November.

"I follow words of Mahatma Gandhi that we are trustee of public money and not owner and hence do not go for exuberant government financed advertisement campaign like them," he said addressing a function after launching a programme to provide free electricity connection to nearly 50 lakh households in the state.

"We probably have the lowest expenditure on government sponsored advertisements in the country," Kumar said.

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The CM also holds charge of Information and Public Relations Department.

In an oblique attack at the BJP-led NDA government, Kumar, who is also JD(U) National President, said "they" go for massive publicity campaign by spending a lot on "highlighting themselves".

Kumar said instead of spending a lot on advertisements from public money he travels across the state and makes people aware of the programmes launched for them.

He also came down heavily on "miscampaign" on social media which have yielded devastating effects.

"Britain exited from European Union due to such campaign on social media," he said to drive home the point.

He further said that recently a prominent private TV channel beamed a news item on the basis of social media about somebody feeding food to some Air force officials at a service flight who were deprived of cash in the wake of demonetisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes. But, when the concerned person (who fed the Air force officials) was interviewed, he denied doing it.

-PTI