EC behaving like a ‘captive puppet’ of BJP, says Cong
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday accused the Election Commission (EC) of acting like a “captive puppet” of the BJP by turning a blind eye to Prime Minister Narendra Modi violating “constitutional norms” by holding a ‘roadshow’ in Gujarat while polling was still underway.
The main opposition party was also unsparing in its attack on chief election commissioner (CEC) AK Joti, alleging that he was behaving like “Modi’s principal secretary”.
The EC refuted the Congress’ allegations and insisted that the party’s complaint against the PM’S ‘roadshow’ in Ahmedabad was being examined.
“A desperate Prime Minister facing defeat in Gujarat holds a roadshow with BJP flags and flagrantly flouts the Constitution and the code of conduct,” Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot and party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told a news conference.
“A puppet Election Commission looks on with complicity denigrating its role of an independent arbiter,” they alleged.
Modi, while leaving the polling booth at Ranip locality after casting his vote, held up his inked finger and greeted the crowd. He then stood on the side-step of his SUV, which moved through the street for some distance, which the Congress said was akin to a “political roadshow”.
Congress workers marched to the EC office in New Delhi to protest against Modi’s roadshow. n
Surjewala said the EC can register an FIR within 30 minutes on a BJP complaint against news channels and newspapers for airing Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi’s interview but not act against the PM, BJP chief Amit Shah or Union ministers.
“The PMO and the CM were calling TV channels and threatening them that they would be all sent to jail,” he alleged.
But the poll panel said it had not yet filed an FIR against Gandhi and maintained that he has been given time till December 18 to reply to its notice on the issue.
“The Election Commission was acting like a frontal organisation of the BJP and had abdicated its constitutional responsibility by not taking action against Modi,” the Congress leaders said.
Surjewala said Modi, after seeing an ‘imminent defeat’ in Gujarat, latched on to the last straw and violated the Constitution “in complicity ” with the EC.
In a no-holds-barred attack on the CEC, the Congress alleged that he had abdicated his Constitutional responsibility.
“We feel the CEC, who used to be PS (principal secretary) to Modi ji, is still acting as Modi’s PS although he now has a constitutional post,” Surjewala said. Joti was principal secretary and chief secretary in Gujarat when Modi was the CM.
“The CEC is sitting on a constitutional post but taking orders from the BJP and PM,” the Congress leader alleged. “The EC has shamed itself by acting like a captive puppet of the Prime Minister and his government.”
In another development, the poll panel ruled out that the Prime Minister had violated the code of conduct by being present at the commissioning of INS Kalvari in Mumbai. His presence at the event does not violate the model code of conduct and since it was outside Gujarat, no permission was sought for it, an EC official said.