Even as the Woman and Child Development Ministry was quick to react by pulling off its Minister Krishna Tirath’s picture from its official website, the picture of Professor KV Thomas who has the independent charge of Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution continued to don the space till late evening on Friday, hours after the Election Commission, cracked its whip for disobeying its orders.
The direction of the Election Commission to remove all references of Ministers, politicians or political parties on Government’s official websites was forwarded by additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat to all the secretaries concerned asking them to follow directions to this effect.
“The (Election) Commission has decided that during the period when the Model Code of Conduct is in force in connection with general elections to the lok Sabha, State legislative Assemblies currently going on, all references of Ministers, politicians or political parties available on such Central or State Governments’ official websites shall be removed,” the EC order sent to the Cabinet Secretary had said.
The Commission had asked for “strict compliance” of the order.
While most Ministers seemed to have obeyed the order by keeping the space of the Minister blank, the official website of WCD Ministry continued to display Tirath’s picture till Friday afternoon, and removed it by early evening the same day after the EC took note. Thomas’ MoS Consumer Affairs on the official website, however, remained defiant.
The EC said the decision was taken after considering various references currently available in the ministerial website eulogising the achievements of their Ministry and
departments as personal achievements of politicians or Ministers.