‘Inadvertent’ Says Newspaper, After Yogi Govt Ridiculed for Ad Showing Kolkata Flyover

The apology goes against the standard disclaimer issued by ‘Indian Express’ which impresses upon advertisers that the paper ‘shall in no way be responsible for advertisement or its content.’

New Delhi: After participants on social media claimed that a front-page advertisement of the Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh features as among its three key images, a flyover in Kolkata, the Indian Express – where the ad ran – has ended up apologising for the image selection.

Such an apology by a newspaper over an image in an ad is rare, as the contents of an advertisement are supplied by the advertiser.

In fact, in its 2019 rate card (page 10) Indian Express impresses upon advertisers that “we [Express] shall in no way be responsible for advertisement or its content.” The whole disclaimer reads:

“Advertiser represents that the information in the advertisement is correct, current and complete and that nothing therein is false; and that any picture, logo, text, etc used in the advertisement does not infringe the intellectual property or privacy of a third party; contains nothing indecent or pornographic or defamatory. That we shall in no way be responsible for advertisement or its content.”

The highlighted portion of the Indian Express rate card reflects the relevant part on advertisement content.

 

The Adityanath government ran a three-page advertisement on the first pages of The Sunday Express, the weekend paper of the Indian Express on September 12. While the pages inside contained claims on the government’s various policies, the first page features a cut-out photograph of chief minister Adityanath, engineers at a factory and what appears to be the Maa Flyover in eastern Kolkata.

Hawk-eyed readers pointed out that the bridge had the iconic yellow taxi which is salient to Kolkata and was thus a giveaway.

Claims have also been made on social media that the factory in the photograph is one in the US.

However, the Kolkata flyover goof-up has received most traction – largely because leaders of the Trinamool Congress, which is in power in West Bengal and is opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party – have taken up the matter with gusto.

Amidst, TMC chief and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s attempts to go national ahead of the 2024 general election, some have pointed out in jest how the BJP needs to look to Bengal to “transform” Uttar Pradesh.


Sanjay Singh who heads the Uttar Pradesh wing of the Aam Aadmi Party, which is also opposed to the BJP, took to Twitter as well.

A large section of Twitter saw in the incident the potential for a meme-fest.