New Delhi: The Congress on Friday met officials of the Election Commission in New Delhi and discussed several issues that the party said were of “crucial” importance in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the delegation brought up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments during a speech in Wardha in which he had questioned Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad.
The Congress delegation was made up of Singhvi, Ahmed Patel, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh.
Singhvi said the party has sought that BJP chief Amit Shah’s nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat be disqualified as he has filed a false affidavit of his income declaration. The Congress leader said the party also brought up with the poll panel the issue of cash seizure in Arunachal Pradesh, where currency worth Rs 1.8 crore was seized before Modi’s visit earlier this week.
The cash was seized from a car in Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s convoy ,with the Congress alleging a “cash for votes” scam in the state. The party has asked the poll panel to register a case against Modi as well as the chief minister and his deputy.
The Congress has also sought the termination of the candidature of Tapir Gao, the BJP's Arunachal Pradesh president who has been fielded from the Arunachal West Lok Sabha constituency.
The party also urged the EC to take cognizance of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's "Modi ki sena" comment and take "decisive" action to deter others from making such a statement. Surjewala alleged that those who have trampled upon democracy are challenging constitutional authorities. The EC should take action against them, failing which people will come forward and "take control", "like Lord Krishna did", he warned.
If the EC does not take action against the two leaders, Surjewala said, his party would "remind" the poll panel of its responsibilities.
At an election rally in Ghaziabad on April 1, Adityanath had described the Indian Army as "Modiji ki sena" to make a distinction between the Army's response to terrorists under the Modi government. Three days later in Lucknow, Naqvi was caught on camera making a similar comment. He, however, tried to wriggle out of the controversy that had been raging, saying he did not make the comment in as many words.
The Election Commission has issued a show-cause notice to Adityanath for his controversial comment and sought his response.
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