Govt fumes at ad goof-up

source
excerpt:
The photograph of a retired Pakistan air force chief in an adverstisement commissioned by the Women and Child Development Ministry caused a major embarrassment to the Centre on Sunday, following its publication in a newspaper currently on a joint “peace campaign” with a Pakistani daily.

Even though Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath remained unapologetic and sought to downplay the incident by saying the message in the advertisement marking the National Girl Child Day was more important that the photograph, both the PMO and the Indian Air Force are understood to be fuming at the faux pas. Late on Sunday evening Tirath apologised, saying it was a mistake.

Interestingly, the advertisement was carried in only one prominent English daily published from here. The daily is currently carrying out a joint “peace campaign” with a newspaper from Pakistan.

All other newspapers in the capital carried a different advertisement to mark the day.

Unapologetic
Even as the hunt was begun by the PMO to fix responsibility, with sources saying that heads were likely to roll in both Tirath’s ministry and DAVP, the minister herself remained nonplussed and refused to accept any blunder on the part of her ministry.
“The message is more important than the image. The photograph is only symbolic. The message for the girl child is more important,” she said striving hard to downplay the incident. {what a stupid woman, why not use Hitler, Aurangzeb and Akbar since photograph is only symbolic? If what you are saying is the case why is PMO apologizing?} She also said that no name had been mentioned below the photograph, and added, “We are anyway for global peace.”{Chillum phoonkna chodh do aunty ji aur dharti pe aajao wapas}

But the PMO was in no such mood. It swiftly apologised to the nation for the blunder and instituted an internal inquiry.

Meanwhile, the blame game has already begun, with the DAVP trying to wash its hands off the matter. While nobody came on record, sources in DAVP claimed the advertisement, numbered “DAVP 46101/13/0064/0910” came to the department on Saturday with prior approval from the Women and Child Development Ministry, and, therefore, was released immediately.

The sources also conteded that the text and images in the advertisement had been prepared by Tirath’s staff.{One reason she is being bombastic is probably she is the one who OK'ed this shameful ad and is now backpedalling since PMO apologized, what a hypocrite!}