EC Orders Probe After Congress Complains of PM Modi’s “Roadshow”
BJP vs Congress on the Model Code of Conduct.
The BJP and Congress have accused each other of violating the Model Code of Conduct. The Congress has also accused the Election Commission of “working under pressure from PM and Prime Minister’s Office”. On 13 December, the EC issued a notice to Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi, over his interviews to television networks one day before the final phase of voting in Gujarat.
On its part, the Congress has alleged that a “subservient” Election Commission allowed PM Modi to hold a ‘roadshow’ after casting his vote in Ahmedabad on 14 December.
- EC orders probe after Congress complained against PM Modi’s “roadshow”
- Congress has accused PM Modi of violating Model Code of Conduct by holding a ‘roadshow’ after voting in Ahmedabad
- EC directed that an FIR be filed against channels in the state that telecast Rahul Gandhi’s interview 48 hours before the polls
- The EC also issued notice to Gandhi, asking for an explanation by 18 December
- Congress demanded that FIRs be filed against PM Modi, other BJP leaders
EC Orders Probe After Cong Complains of PM's "Roadshow"
After the Congress took exception to PM Modi’s “roadshow”, the party lodged a complaint with the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat on 14 December. A separate complaint was also submitted to the Ranip Police.
In response to the Congress's complaint, Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat BB Swain said an inquiry has been ordered to probe whether there was any violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The complaint was more “anticipatory in nature”, he said.
“We have handed over the inquiry to the Ahmedabad district election officer (the district collector). Since our MCC team was also present at the booth, it will also give its report. They (the collector and MCC team) are now finalising their overall inquiry report,” Swain said.
PM Modi Facing Crisis of Credibility, Says Rahul Gandhi
Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he was facing a "crisis of credibility" and had stopped talking of corruption.
Speaking at a massive rally of congress workers in Thiruvananthapuram, Gandhi said people no longer believe in what he (Modi) says.
Gandhi said the prime minister had committed to the youth of the country that he will get two crore jobs every year for them. He had also laid out a vision of Make-in India, Start-up India and Connect India.
The prime minister had also challenged China's dominance in manufacturing, Gandhi said.
"However, today the truth was out. We asked the government some time back how many jobs have been created under the Make-in-India, Startup india and connect India programmes," he said.
"No FIR Against Rahul": Election Commission
The Election Commission today said that no FIR had been lodged against Rahul Gandhi for giving an interview on 13 December, and that he had only been served a notice.
Talking about PM Modi’s submarine launch, the EC said that it did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Model Code of Conduct.
Don't See Any Code of Conduct Being Violated: S Kashyap
Constitution expert S Kashyap said he did not see any violation of code of conduct on part of PM Modi, when he came in to cast his vote.
Very Concerned Over EC's Double Standards: Shashi Tharoor
Reacting to PM Modi’s ‘roadshow’, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the EC’s obvious condoning of the BJP’s ‘blatant violation of the election code’ is astonishing.
BJP Delegation Leaves EC Office
The BJP delegation led by Nirmala Sitharaman and Ravi Shankar PRasad left the Election Commission in Delhi, after meeting with the Chief Election Officer.
Have Received a Complaint Against PM Modi: Gujarat CEO
Addressing a press conference, Gujarat Chief Election Officer BB Swain said that the EC had received a complaint on PM Modi’s roadshow.
Swain said that the MCC team was also present at the time, and that they were finalising the enquiry report.
Police Detains Protesting Congress Workers
The police detained Congress workers who were marching to Election Commission in protest over PM Modi's roadshow after casting his vote today.
The protesters were stopped by police outside Sardar Patel Bhawan near Patel Chowk in Delhi .
BJP Delegation Heads to EC: Reports
According to TV channels, a BJP delegation led by Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, PP Chaudhary and Arun Singh heading to Election Commission. The delegation will reportedly meet officials regarding the Congress’ press conference.
Condemn Congress' Allegations Against EC: BJP
BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav condemned the Congress for calling the EC a ‘captive puppet’ of the BJP-run government. Referring to the earlier-held Rajya Sabha elections, Yadav said:
EC Is PM's Captive Puppet: Congress
The Congress slammed what they called a “subservient” Election Commission after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a ‘roadshow’ after casting his vote in Ahmedabad on 14 December.
The party said that the ‘roadshow’ is a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct and that the poll body “seems to working under pressure from PM and Prime Minister’s Office.”
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala called the EC a “captive puppet of the PM” which has turned into “BJP’s frontal organisation.”
“The Chief Election Officer has abdicated his responsibility and as the Prime Minister faces an imminent defeat, he is now latching on to the last straw of the EC... We had sought an appointment with the EC at 4:30 pm yesterday (13 December) and they kept deferring it. When we told them that we will sit in a dharna outside their office, they relented and called us at 10:15 pm. It shows how prejudiced and one-sided the EC is. This has not happened in 70 years,” Surjewala told reporters.
The Congress has also filed an official complaint against the PM for holding the ‘roadshow’.
BJP Petitioning EC Is Act of Desperation: Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram lashed out at the BJP “petitioning” the Election Commission over Rahul Gandhi’s interview. He called the BJP’s move an “act of desperation”.
BJP Files Complaint Against Bharatsinh Solanki
The BJP alleged that Gujarat Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki appeared on television channel on 13 December, and said that the voters responded “well” to the party in the first phase. This was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, alleged the party.
In a statement, the BJP said, “Shri Bharatsinh Solanki appeared on TV on Wednesday, and said that voters have responded to us in phase one, and we hope they will also respond in phase two polling, and thereby appealed to the people to vote for INC. This is a total violation of the Conduct of Election Rules and Section 126 of the RP Act 1951, and an offence whatsoever as contemplated under the provisions of section 126 of the Representations of Peoples Act 1951 can said to have been committed”.
File FIR Against PM Modi, Other BJP Leaders: Surjewala
A Congress delegation reached the Election Commission office in Delhi late on Wednesday night and told media that “PM Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal have violated the Model Code of Conduct over and over again.”
They also alleged that the PM has misused the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) platform to attack the Congress, and that the EC should stay “unbiased”.
The Congress also submitted a memorandum to the EC demanding registration of FIRs against BJP leaders for “violating” the Model Code of Conduct.
Randeep Surjewala said the EC acted against news channels for airing the interview of Rahul Gandhi which was against the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
Here is the Congress memorandum:
EC Issues Notice to Rahul Gandhi
The Election Commission on 13 December issued notice to Rahul Gandhi for interviews given by him and aired by TV networks, one day prior to the final phase of polling in the Gujarat elections.
EC Directs Gujarat Election Chief to File FIR Against TV Networks
The Election Commission on Wednesday, 13 December, directed the Gujarat Chief Election Officer BB Swain to file an FIR against channels in Gujarat that telecast Rahul Gandhi’s interview, one day prior to the final phase of polling in the state.
We Will Examine Interview DVDs for Violation: Swain
Gujarat Chief Election Officer BB Swain said that they have collected the DVDs of Rahul Gandhi’s interviews to TV channels, and that they will be examining them for violation.
EC Will Take Cognisance of Interviews: Piyush Goyal
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for giving an interview just a day ahead of the second phase of polling, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Election Commission would take cognisance of it.
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