BJP, Congress approach EC against each other

New Delhi, October 30: Leaders of the BJP as well as the Congress-JD(U) combine took their political battle to the Election Commission on Friday, complaining against each other’s conduct in the ongoing Bihar assembly elections. The Congress and Jata Dal-United complained to the Election Commission that the BJP was “promoting lies, false propaganda and commul tension” through advertisements in the ongoing Bihar elections. The BJP hit back, blaming the grand alliance of JD-U, Rashtriya Jata Dal and the Congress for “attempting to disturb commul harmony” in Bihar “In the ongoing Bihar elections, the BJP has been promoting lies, false propaganda and commul tension through advertisements. This has vitiated the electoral process by promoting commul tension,” said a memorandum submitted to Chief Election Commissioner sim Zaidi by Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and Ajoy Kumar and JD-U’s K.C. Tyagi.

“(BJP president) Amit Shah’s presence creates tension as he makes problematic comments. Hence, we have requested the Election Commission that he should be kept away from campaigning,” Tyagi said after the meeting. Randeep Surjewala said: “We requested the EC to take steps against the prime minister for his statements at BJP rallies.” On the other hand, the BJP memorandum blamed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, JD-U’s Nitish Kumar and RJD’s Lalu Prasad for flaring up commul sentiments in the state.

“The RJD-JD-U-Congress combine is trying to disturb commul harmony in Bihar assembly elections for the last several days,” said the BJP memorandum, signed by union minister Mukhtar Abbas qvi and party leaders Arun Singh, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Sambit Patra and Siddharth th Singh. The letter quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying in an election rally: “The BJP wants to get votes by making Hindus and Muslims fight each other.” “Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar have been making provocative and persol statements against BJP leaders to commully polarise the situation in Bihar,” it said. The BJP also took on Lalu Prasad for calling BJP president Amit Shah a “man-eater”. “The statements of Lalu Yadav against Amit Shah that a “man-eater has gone mad”, calling Prime Minister rendra Modi “brahma-pishach” are highly condemble and such statements violate the election code of conduct and provisions of the Representation of the People Act,” the BJP said.

“These statements are a conspiracy to disturb commul harmony in the state,” the party added. Shah on Thursday said in Raxaul in Bihar that firecrackers would be burst in celebration in Pakistan if the grand alliance - and not the BJP-led tiol Democratic Alliance - formed the next government in Bihar.  (IANS)