Wednesday, April 13 2005 13:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Appearance of a photograph of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a Gujarat Government publication has angered the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which said the act was "highly objectionable".

"Attention of the PMO has been drawn to a publication of the Directorate of Information, Government of Gujarat, on which a photograph of the Prime Minister has been published alongside a quotation from a statement made by the Prime Minister in Parliament," a PMO spokesman said in New Delhi.

The publication of the Gujarat Government relating to denial of visa by the US to Chief Minister Narendra Modi was released during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive in Delhi last week.

The spokesman said the Gujarat Government "did not seek the permission" of the PMO before publishing the photograph on the cover of the official publication.

"This is a highly objectionable and incorrect practice," the spokesman said, adding the PMO is separately conveying its "disapproval" of the same to the Gujarat Government.

The PMO spokesman pointed out that the Prime Minister's photograph couldn't be printed in any Government publication without prior permission.