New Delhi [India], September 16 : All India Bar Association (AIBA) Chairman and senior advocate Adish C Aggarwala has sought urgent intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary Dr P K Mishra over the delay in allotment of the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi for an international photography exhibition on the Prime Minister, alleging that the delay is intentional.
In a letter to Mishra dated September 15, Aggarwala sought allotment of the venue from September 17 to 30 for the “International Photography Exhibition on Narendra Modi: A Champion of Prosperity & World Peace.”
Aggarwala said he had applied for allotment of the venue within the stipulated time and in accordance with the prescribed procedure of the Lalit Kala Akademi. He claimed that, in the absence of a Governing Committee of the Akademi, its concerned officials had recommended allotment of the venue to the Ministry of Culture, particularly as the premises were available during the requested period.
He said that as the formal allotment was delayed, he wrote to Culture Ministry Secretary Vivek Aggarwal on August 29 seeking expeditious approval and also spoke to him on September 1.
According to Aggarwala, the Culture Ministry Secretary assured him that the allotment letter would be issued and advised him to proceed with arrangements for the exhibition.
“Relying upon this assurance, I proceeded with the arrangements,” Aggarwala said in his letter.
He claimed that Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister Harsh Malhotra, former Chief Justice of India Justice K G Balakrishnan, former RSS leaders Indresh Kumar, Ramashish, Lakshminarain Bhala and Shreehari Borikar, VHP leader Kapil Khanna and several ambassadors had agreed to attend the inaugural ceremony scheduled for September 17 at 5 pm at the Lalit Kala Akademi.
The exhibition, according to Aggarwala, will also feature a series of brief lectures by eminent personalities and experts on 38 thematic subjects covering governance, law, diplomacy, national security, economic development, technology, social reform, culture and various initiatives undertaken during the Modi era.
He further claimed that more than 300 retired judges, bureaucrats, diplomats, teachers, lawyers and journalists from different parts of the country had confirmed their participation in the lecture series and planned their travel.
Speaking to the media, Aggarwala alleged that the delay in allotment was connected with the continuation of the Akademi’s National Exhibition beyond its scheduled closing date of September 14.
“It is really surprising how the Culture Minister has intentionally not visited the Akademi’s National Exhibition when he has been in Delhi from the night of September 11 and the exhibition was to end on September 14,” Aggarwala alleged.
He alleged that the decision was taken with the purpose of denying him the Lalit Kala Akademi venue for his photography exhibition scheduled from September 17 to 30.
Aggarwala further alleged that the National Exhibition had been extended until September 30 without any confirmation from the President of India, claiming that even an invitation had not been sent to the President.
He questioned the decision to offer the Akademi to him only after September 30, alleging that the authorities were aware that the proposed exhibition was linked to Prime Minister Modi’s birthday celebrations and could not be postponed.
Aggarwala, in his representation to the PMO, also referred to an undertaking given by him in a letter sent on September 14 to a Ministry of Culture official. He said he had undertaken to dismantle his exhibition once the President accepted an invitation for a specific date, so that the Lalit Kala Akademi could be made available for any Presidential programme.
With the exhibition scheduled to commence at 5 pm on September 17, Aggarwala urged the PMO to examine the matter urgently and ensure allotment of the Lalit Kala Akademi from September 17 to 30.
He also requested that necessary directions be issued as soon as possible so that the formal allotment letter could be released without further delay and the exhibition could proceed as scheduled.