EC acting like BJP’s puppet, PM’s ‘roadshow’ violation of code: Congress

Team Udayavani, Dec 14, 2017, 2:45 PM IST

New Delhi: The Congress today said the Election Commission was a BJP “puppet” for not acting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his “roadshow” in Gujarat. The prime minister had violated the model code of conduct by holding a “roadshow” after voting in the Gujarat Assembly polls, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged.

Addressing a press conference, he said the poll panel was a “puppet and frontal organisation” of the ruling BJP as it took no action against Modi. “It is a sad day for the country as EC has denigrated the Constitution,” Surjewala said.

In a strongly worded attack, the Congress leader also said the “CEC (chief election commissioner) was acting like the prime minister’s PS”. The opposition party’s attack against the Election Commission and Modi comes a day after the poll panel issued a show cause notice to Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi for “prima facie” violating the model code by giving interviews to Gujarati TV channels.

The poll panel asked him to reply by December 18, failing which it will decide the matter without any reference to him. “The rules are different for the Congress and newspapers, TV channels airing Gandhi’s interviews, which were not violation of the code of conduct. But at the same time, no action is being taken against the prime minister,” Surjewala said.