Congress delegation meets EC seeking action against PM Modi, Shah

New Delhi, Nov 28:  A delegation of Congress on Tuesday met the Election Commission and sought action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over violation of the Model Code of Conduct for their remarks on its party leaders despite submitting a complaint few days ago.

The party said that it is as much the credibility of the Commission which is a stake as of the Model Code of Conduct.

Congress delegation also flagged the panel about the alleged tampering of postal ballots by the District Electoral Officer in Pallaghat in Madhya Pradesh seeking immediate action against the concerned officer.

The party sought preventive action in Telangana where it apprehended the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi circumventing the restriction on campaigning during the ‘Silence Period’ that began at 5 pm today.

A delegation of the party comprising of senior leader and CWC member Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Salman Khurshid, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Pranav Jha, Vineet Punia and others met the Election Commission on Tuesday. Ajay Maken and Ajoy Kumar joined the meeting virtually.

Speaking to the media Singhvi said the party submitted its complaint as far as back as November 24, i.e. three and half days ago.

"We have submitted to you a detailed representation showing direct visual evidence, undeniable, unambiguous, incontrovertible evidence of violations of the model code of conduct by no less than the Prime Minister and the Home Minister," he said.

"The first of these videos is there by the Prime Minister talking in the idiom which is very special and unique to him and calling the Opposition leaders ‘Murkhon ka Sardar’.

“The second is the one which involves the Home Minister who has ascribed the ‘Rahu-Ketu’ syndrome to the leaders of the Congress party.

“The third is again of the Home Minister, who has needlessly raised issues of foreign origin, none of which has any connection with fair, direct campaigning or development issues," Singhvi said.

Singhvi pointed out that it was a matter of the credibility of the Commission that it should not be seen as not taking action against the mighty and powerful.

The Congress leader said, "We have pointed out that everyone is equal beneath the law, under the law and no one is above the law.

"The whole object of a level-playing field must be implemented, clinically and without fear or favour by the Commission. We are, therefore, legitimately surprised that we have not even been called in the last four days. Four days is a very long time in a short span of a campaign period," he said.

He also said that what the action will be is for the Commission to decide, censure, warning… stoppage of course is now meaningless because there is already a silence period operating.

"But this must be a clear unequivocal message by the Commission. It is as much the credibility of the Election Commission which is a stake as of the Model Code of Conduct and of our polity," Singhvi said.

About the tampering of postal ballots in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress delegation demanded immediate action against the concerned officer. “Who will guard the guardian?” Singhvi remarked.

The Congress leader said the delegation brought to the attention of the commission that the party had specific information that the ruling BRS cadres were planning to fan out across the state wearing pink T-Shirts and sarees donning the colour, logo and symbol of the BRS during the “silence period”.

This, he observed, amounted to surrogate campaigning during the silence period, which is a clear violation of the code of conduct.

Singhvi said that the commission assured of action. He said the party wanted concrete, immediate and effective action as it was also the matter of the credibility of the Election Commission.