BJP seeks stay on appointments, complains against PM's media advisor

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) The BJP Saturday urged the poll panel to ask the UPA government to put all major appointments on hold till a new government takes over and also demanded action against the media advisor to the prime minister for "violating" model code of conduct.

The party gave two separate representations to the poll panel on the issue of government considering high-level appointments and media advisor Pankaj Pachauri speaking about the achievements of the government during his interaction with media persons Friday.

In one representation, R. Ramakrishna, national convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party's election cell, said that the government was considering appointment of a new army chief and also hastening selection process of Lokpal.

"These are not desirable trends in a healthy democracy. We request the government to put all major appointments on hold till a new government takes over," he said.

In another representation signed by party leaders J.P. Nadda and Nirmala Sitharaman, apart from Ramakrishna, the BJP said that "no less an organisation than PMO" had committed a serious violation of the model code.

They said Pachauri's interaction was presumably an attempt to control damage over two recent books but he spent most of the time "in publicising achievements of Congress government".

The BJP said that Pachauri has "frontally violated" the model code provision concerning use of official position for the election campaign.

"It is astounding that a person occupying the high office of media advisor to PM misuses his proximity and his official capacity to influence the media... and publicises what he considers to be achievements of the government."

"This indiscretion on his part exposes him to be charge sheeted under the government servants conduct rules," the party said.

It said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "has also landed himself in a collateral responsibility of explaining this indiscretion".

"We request the commission to take a serious note of this and proceed against the concerned persons for violation of model code," the party said.

The BJP also demanded an immediate stop to process of appointment of teachers in Kendriya Vidayalayas.