Shimla, Apr 19 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, is facing backlash from the opposition BJP for allegedly allocating disproportionate advertisement funds to National Herald and its Hindi counterpart Sunday Navjeevan, both known for their Congress affiliations.
The BJP staged protests in Solan, Shimla and Chandigarh, accusing the Congress government of misusing public funds to benefit party-linked media.
The controversy stems from official data recently tabled in the state assembly, revealing that between January one, 2023, and February 20, 2025, the state Public Relations department spent a total of Rs 97.9 lakh on National Herald and Rs 18.6 lakh on Sunday Navjeevan, making a combined expenditure of Rs 1.165 crore. These payments form a significant chunk of the Rs 10.27 crore overall spent on print, electronic, online and radio advertisements during the period.