State-owned oil companies have asked dealers operating petrol pumps to display Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photos at their outlets ahead of the 2019 General Assembly elections, The Hindu reported on Friday.
“They are asking us to display the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in retail outlets and those who refuse are threatened with blocking of supplies,” said SS Gogi, president of Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers. They claimed that the suggested displays include one on the scheme to provide LPG connections to Below Poverty Line families.
The Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited have reportedly given the dealers a verbal advisory.
Gogi also said that the consortium plans to approach the courts since the government has asked 10 lakh employees at petrol pumps across the country for personal details like their caste, religion and which constituency they are from. “Such data collection by the government is a breach of privacy,” Gogi said. “We are going to court.”
Reports claimed last week that Hindustan Petroleum, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum wrote to 59,000 petroleum dealers across the country in June, asking them to send the details of their employees for the Recognition of Prior Learning scheme under the Prime Minister’s Skill Development Programme. Dealers claimed that government-run oil firms threatened to block supplies if the details are not provided.
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