Model Mamata on slippery ground over ad
Railway minister and Trinamul Congress president Mamata Banerjee appears to have landed in major trouble over an advertisement in which she is shown modelling for a particular brand of rubber slippers (hawai chappals).
A full-page advertisement in a Bengali daily on Monday showed Ms Banerjee walking in her now-famous rubber slippers. The name of the brand — Ajanta Hawai — is mentioned clearly along with the one-line caption in Bengali: “drirpta padakshwep (firm and bright footsteps).”
The Left parties have sought a clarification from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the matter and are also looking into the possibility of moving the Election Commission to examine if a breach of the law has taken place.
Sensing trouble, Ms Banerjee has directed her ministry to investigate how the advertisement appeared, and her close associates claimed that “Didi had no knowledge” of it. One of her Trinamul Congress colleagues told this newspaper: “We need to find out who is behind this advertisement.”
The railway ministry has ordered an inquiry, which will be conducted by Railway Board member-secretary Shivaji Rakshit. In order to contain the damage, an FIR has also been lodged at the Parliament Street police station here against the footwear company for having used the minister’s picture without her prior consent.
The PMO, after being informed of the advertisement, sought further information from the railway ministry. All attempts to contact Ms Banerjee, however, proved futile.
Said a West Bengal CPI leader: “If she accepted payment for the advertisement, then it falls under the purview of the office-of-profit law. We are looking into the matter.” When it was pointed out that it was claimed that the picture was used without the minister’s consent and that an FIR had been filed over this, the CPI leader said: “All these things could be an eyewash.”
Trinamul Congress spokesman Sudip Bandyopadhyay, when contacted, refused to speak about the matter, saying he had not seen the advertisement, but another senior party leader, Partha Chatterjee, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, admitted to “hearing about it” though he too claimed not to have seen the ad. When told his party chief was being used as a model to promote a brand of hawai chappals, Mr Chatterjee exclaimed: “Goodness, the footwear company must have done it!”
Both the CPI(M) and the BJP swung into action to target the minister. They have asked the Prime Minister to “clarify” how a Union minister was permitted to promote a private company’s brand. Said CPI(M) central committee member Nilotpal Basu: “The Prime Minister must clarify if it was right for a Union minister to promote the brand of a private company.” Dr Singh, he added, should also explain if he had given her permission to do this.
BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it was “morally inappropriate” for any Union minister “to appear in any advertisement of a private company,” and added: “It could be a serious matter if she accepted payment for this. The Prime Minister must issue a clarification.”
Mr Naqvi went on to say: “UPA ministers seem to be busy doing everything except their work. Some are modelling, while others are busy with cricket.”
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