AAP cries foul over 'torn hoardings'

The Aam Aadmi Party supporters and leaders have raised alarm on social media over hoardings being vandalised or deliberately removed. But the party’s publicity department admits that all claims are not true.

The supporters on Twitter have alleged that a hoarding in Laxmi Nagar area was ‘illegally’ removed. Some claimed that BJP is targeting party’s billboards.

Even the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday made a similar claim. “Our legal hoardings torn. Anyone’s guess who wud have done it. Are they soooo scared?” he said on Twitter.

The members of the party’s publicity department said that they have received confirmed reports of vandalism from Tughlakabad and Mehrauli area.

“This is not happening for the first time. Our hoardings were attacked even in the last Assembly elections,” a senior party member said.

The member, however, rubbished allegations that party hoardings are being ‘illegally’ removed.

“There was confusion in one location because the party hoarding was not replaced with a commercial ad,” a member said, while adding that many sites were booked on ‘rotational’ basis.

While hoardings that fall under fixed category can’t be pulled down before a stipulated period, those put up on under rotational basis can be removed and shifted to another location, in case somebody is willing to pay a premium on booking that particular hoarding space. 

AAP has hired services of at least six outdoor advertising agencies to put up hoardings.

Some two dozen sites have been booked under rotational basis and at least 10 sites have been booked under fixed basis.    

Following tweets about billboards being removed, BJP supporters had alleged that the AAP had payment disputes with the company that put up hoardings for the party.