Guj Elections: PM Modi Raises Eyebrows With Polling Day ‘Roadshow’
Congress alleged that the Election Commission’s “blatant one sidedness... raises lots of questions”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote amid pomp and show in Sabarmati's Ranip locality on Thursday, 14 December.
Upon arriving in Ahmedabad, the PM was welcomed by a large crowd that cheered him on waving BJP flags.
After casting his vote, he held up his inked finger for the photographers before embarking on a “roadshow” in the streets of Ahmedabad, even as voters in the state queued up for the second and final phase of polling.
Terming the “roadshow” a blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted that the “double standards” of the EC will be exposed soon.
Congress Cries Foul
Party’s spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted that EC’s “blatant one sidedness... raises lots of questions”.
“What About the Rahul Gandhi Interviews?”
A day before, TV networks and the Congress were censured by the EC after the BJP complained that the airing of Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi's interviews were in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The poll body directed Gujarat’s Chief Election Officer to file an FIR against channels in the state that telecast the interview.
Surjewala said the EC action against news channels went against the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Congress also requested the poll body to immediately withdraw its order directing registration of an FIR.
The Congress submitted a memorandum saying:
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