AAP hits out after post on X is removed over EC’S complaint
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was working as an “extended wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)” — a day after ECI ordered social media website X to take down posts made by the party citing violations of the model code of conduct (MCC).
Calling ECI “biased”, the AAP said that the body did not hear its side before issuing the takedown order.
The BJP, in response, slammed the AAP and said ECI was an impartial body, adding that AAP functionaries were being “undemocratic” by questioning its neutrality.
AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar in a press conference on Wednesday said that the ECI considered itself “above the law”. “Even terrorists get hearing opportunity under legal process but the election commission did not consider it appropriate to hear us. They got the post removed by issuing directions to X. The X company has written to us by expressing disagreement and sadness that the post was being removed without hearing the opportunity... the post was a truthful depiction. It says electoral bond was a scam and ₹60 crore were provided by Sarat Reddy to the BJP after which he became a government approver and gave statements against Arvind Kejriwal,” Kakkar said.
To be sure, among the posts that X announced it had taken down on directions of the poll panel was also one by Samrat Choudhary, the Bihar BJP president.
AAP’S women outreach
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday said that members of its women’s wing has held 20,000 meetings with women voters since April 1 in Delhi, seeking votes and feedback on the party’s performance in Delhi since it came to power nine years ago, party officials said on Wednesday.
They said that 25,000 more meetings with women voters are planned till the end of this month. They added that the women members of the party are going from door-to-door as part of the party’s reach out campaign in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.
“In the meetings, feedback is also being taken from women on the initiatives taken by the Kejriwal government on government schemes such as free travel in DTC buses, Mahila Mohalla Clinic and the proposed scheme of ₹1,000 monthly aid to women. In about 20,000 meetings held so far, the AAP has got tremendous support,” officials added.
The AAP is contesting four seats and the Congress has fielded its nominees on the rest of the three seats as part of the pre-poll alliance arrangement between the two parties. However, only woman candidate is contesting the elections in Delhi -- Bansuri Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from New Delhi seat. The AAP and the Congress have not fielded any woman nominee.