BJP moves poll panel over Rahul Gandhi's 'hand' remark, wants Congress symbol frozen
A BJP delegation comprising Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and party office-bearers Bhupender Yadav, Anil Jain and Sidharth Nath Singh lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Gandhi and sought freezing of the symbol.
In Short
- Rahul had related his party's symbol 'hand' with gods at Congress' 'Jan Vedna Sammelan'.
- In doing so, he violated provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
- Congress has started seeking votes on the basis of religion, says Rahul Gandhi.
BJP today demanded that the Election Commission freeze the election symbol of Congress, alleging that its vice-president Rahul Gandhi violated the model code of conduct by linking his party symbol "hand" with various religious figures.
A BJP delegation comprising union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and party office-bearers Bhupender Yadav, Anil Jain and Sidharth Nath Singh lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Gandhi and sought freezing of the symbol.
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"The grand old party Congress' grand new leader has tried to give communal colour to the elections by his statement in which he co-related the Congress' 'hand' with various religious figures such as Lord Shiv, Guru Nanak, Buddha and Islam. This is a clear cut case of corrupt practice. There should be action against both Congress and its leader", Naqvi told reporters after filing a complaint with the Election Commission.
WHAT BJP'S COMPLAINT SAYS
At the Congress' 'Jan Vedna Sammelan' earlier this month, Gandhi had made comments co-relating his party's symbol 'hand' with religious gods, violating the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, model code of conduct and the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, BJP wrote in its complaint.
Alleging that Gandhi's remarks were in violation of the model code of conduct, Javadekar said, "We have requested the Election Commission that the Congress party's election symbol should be frozen."
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Javadekar said that as soon as the schedule for Assembly elections in five states was declared, the Congress had started raising communal tension and seeking votes on the basis of religion.
Echoing Javadekar's view, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "The grand old party has a brand new communal agenda. The Election Commission has said they will take up the matter. We want an investigation into this and the party symbol should be sealed".
BJP national secretary Singh said that contents of Gandhi's speech were not only offensive, but also an attempt to communalise the polity in poll-bound states.
Last Friday, the BJP had taken its petition to the Uttar Pradesh Electoral Office regarding the same matter. The party had filed their petition along with a CD of the Congress vice-president's speech.