Is Election Commission 'Subsidiary Organisation' Of BJP, Fumes Atishi After Poll Body Serves Show-Cause Notice

Minutes after receiving a show cause notice from the Election Commission of India for her strong allegations against the BJP, claiming that the saffron party threatened her with an arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Delhi Minister Atishi came down heavily the poll body.

In a press conference on Friday, Atishi questioned the Election Commission if it is a subsidiary of the BJP. "... On April 4, the BJP registered a complaint against one of my press conferences. On April 5 at 11:15 am, news channels flashed that a notice had been sent to Atishi, but half an hour after the news, I received the notice in the mail. This means that the BJP first plants the Election Commission notice in the media and after that, I receive the notice. My question is whether the Election Commission has become a subsidiary organization of the BJP," the Delhi minister said while speaking with the media.

Expressing her concerns about the functioning of central agencies and institutions, she said, "It is worrying that all central agencies and institutions have bowed down to the BJP. Even the Election Commission has now bowed down to the BJP. When AAP attempts to file complaints on various issues, we are not given time. Even after the Model Code of Conduct is implemented, central agencies target opposition leaders, but the EC takes no action. However, as soon as the BJP files a complaint, a notice is issued within 12 hours... Is the notice being issued by the EC or by the BJP?"

No action against ED and IT

Accusing BJP of using Central agencies, Atishi said, "When the ED arrests a sitting CM and a prime face of the opposition, does the Election Commission send a notice to the ED? When the Income Tax Department freezes the bank accounts of Congress, does the Election Commission send a notice to the Income Tax Department? The BJP-led central government is blatantly misusing the CBI, ED and Income Tax ahead of elections before the Election Commission."

"I would urge the members of the EC to remember that they are successors of TN Seshan, and it is their responsibility to uphold democracy in this country...", she added.