Bills unpaid for Narendra Modi's Goa rally,says official

The licence and tax bills for the BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi's rally Jan 12 near Panaji have not been paid, an official said.

Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Surendra Furtado told IANS Wednesday that the banners and posters promoting and advertising Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate's public rally were plastered all over the city's jurisdiction, without permissions from the city council.

"They have neither taken permissions nor paid us the licence fees, which are mandatory for putting up advertising or promotional material in city limits," Furtado said.

Giant cut-outs of Modi, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and a galaxy of BJP leaders, along with buntings, flags and other BJP paraphernalia were put up all over Goa and the capital, which is located a stone's throw from the venue of Modi's rally which attracted a crowd of over a lakh.

"For a recent smaller meeting of the Congress party's minority cell, the CCP earned Rs.25,000 plus in taxes and licence fees. From the Modi meeting, the CCP got nothing. They did not pay a rupee," Furtado said.

A senior BJP official said that the CCP was free to charge the party its dues.

"The CCP can charge us the licence fees and other taxes even now. While preparing for such a massive meeting, some slip-ups happen," the official said.