The opposition will register its protest against the government's 'India Shining' campaign at an all-party meeting with the election commissioners in New Delhi on February 20.
"We have already called upon the government to stop this misuse of public funds, which violates the letter and spirit of the election commission's model code of conduct," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
"We reserve our right to protest since the government has already wasted Rs500 crore in this regard," he said.
Singhvi indicated that other opposition parties were also dissatisfied with the unfair advantage that the National Democratic Alliance had gained from the ads.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the Congress' charge, with party spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saying that the model code of conduct had not been violated since election dates had not been announced.
"There is nothing wrong with them [the advertisements] so long as they apprise the people about the projects that the government has undertaken for their welfare," Naqvi told rediff.com
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Nilotpal Basu expressed concern at what he said was a 'blatant disregard' of the code of conduct.
"It exemplifies the BJP-led government's disregard for democratic values and its tendency to run down established norms," he said.
He indicated that his party would raise the issue during the all-party meeting.
Significantly, Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy on taking over on February 8 had warned "those in power" not to use the taxpayers' money for "electoral advantages".
Krishnamurthy, along with Election Commissioners B B Tandon and N Gopalaswamy, will discuss with the parties how to ensure violence-free polls and reduced expenditure.
The EC has already discussed the law and order situation with the directors general of police of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.
Later, it discussed the law and order situation with the DGPs and chief secretaries of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir.
The EC is in touch with the home ministry regarding the deployment of paramilitary forces during the elections, the dates for which will be announced after the all-party meet.
