BJP advertisement: Congress lodges FIR against Sonowal, Nadda, 8 newspapers

Guwahati

The Congress has filed a police complaint against Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP chief JP Nadda, state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and 8 leading newspapers for “camouflaging an advertisement as news” predicting the party’s victory in all the seats in Upper Assam that went to poll in the first phase on March 27.

The FIR was lodged with Dispur police station on Sunday night for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), provisions of Section 126A of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and the ECI's directives issued on March 26, APCC Legal Department Chairman Niran Borah said.

“This is a blatant violation of MCC, Representation of People Act, 1951 and the ECI’s relevant instructions and media policies by BJP leaders and members, who after realising that their defeat is inevitable have resorted to desperate illegal and unconstitutional methods to influence the voters across the state,” he said.

“In a pre-planned conspiracy to deceive voters in the second and third phases, CM, BJP national president, state chief and other members of the party have knowingly issued advertisements camouflaged as headlines on front pages of various newspapers claiming that the BJP will win all the constituencies of Upper Assam,” Borah said.

The ads have been presented in a manner to “prejudice the mind of the voters and this deliberate, malicious and malafide set of advertisements are in clear violation of Section 126A of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which is punishable by two years of imprisonment and fine,” he said.

Moreover, the EC’s instructions, specific to Assam, had prohibited the dissemination of any form of prediction related to poll results between 7 am of March 27 till 7.30 pm of April 29, Borah said.