New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission against Prime Minister Modi’s poll rally announced just nine km away from Damoh Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh on the day of polling there next Monday.
He cannot campaign in the constituency on the polling day but he will be indirectly addressing the voters of the constituency carted to his rally in the nearby area and this amounts to the model code of conduct, senior Congress leaders Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Jairam Ramesh told reporters after meeting the Election Commission.
In another memorandum, the Congress delegation also accused the Prime Minister misusing the government machinery for the election campaign, citing how the PMO and NITI Aayog have been writing to the district authorities to gather information about the constituencies in view of his impending visit to their areas.
Singhvi said the Congress has given examples of Puducherry, Chandigarh and Gondia (Maharashtra) in this regard. He said Modi is like any other campaigner in this election and as such he cannot use the government offices to gather information for his election campaign.
Asked if the Congress has given any evidence, Singhvi said the party has levelled 10 serious poll code violation charges on PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah and the Election Commission acted on just one complaint on Tuesday only after the party knocked the Supreme Court doors.
“If the Election Commission could decide on one complaint in 30 days, it will take 270 days to go into our remaining complaints and there is no answer why so much leniency in case of PM Modi and Amit Shah,” Singhvi said, underlining that not taking a decision is also a decision to give benefit to the accused.
