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Enraged over delays in granting permission to Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi for holding campaign meetings in the Gandhi-Nehru family’s pocket borough of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress on Saturday complained to the Election Commission.
It has sought “debarring” of senior BSP Minister Swami Prasad Maurya and transfer of Rae Bareli District Magistrate Amrita Soni and seven other administrative officers for “seeking to influence voters in favour of non-Congress parties especially BSP and SP” in Assembly seats of these two Lok Sabha constituencies represented by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul.
Alleging that “illegal acts and omissions and rank favouritism are happening under the explicit and clear pressure of both Maurya and Soni, the Congress has demanded that the BSP leader should be debarred from visiting these two districts.
A delegation of Congress leaders, including party treasurer Motilal Vora, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, AICC general secretary and Union Minister Mukul Wasnik and senior leaders Suresh Pachouri, KC Mittal and Manish Chatrath, met Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi and submitted the complaint.
After the meeting Singhvi said officers in these two districts have been instructed by the State administration to act in a “blatantly biased manner and hence they are not granting timely permissions for Congress’ meetings particularly of Priyanka. He charged that permissions for Priyanka’s meetings were granted only one-and-a-half hour before.
“A large number of officers are openly threatening, pressurising and scaring Congress workers,” the party charged.
It has sought “debarring” of senior BSP Minister Swami Prasad Maurya and transfer of Rae Bareli District Magistrate Amrita Soni and seven other administrative officers for “seeking to influence voters in favour of non-Congress parties especially BSP and SP” in Assembly seats of these two Lok Sabha constituencies represented by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul.
Alleging that “illegal acts and omissions and rank favouritism are happening under the explicit and clear pressure of both Maurya and Soni, the Congress has demanded that the BSP leader should be debarred from visiting these two districts.
A delegation of Congress leaders, including party treasurer Motilal Vora, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, AICC general secretary and Union Minister Mukul Wasnik and senior leaders Suresh Pachouri, KC Mittal and Manish Chatrath, met Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi and submitted the complaint.
After the meeting Singhvi said officers in these two districts have been instructed by the State administration to act in a “blatantly biased manner and hence they are not granting timely permissions for Congress’ meetings particularly of Priyanka. He charged that permissions for Priyanka’s meetings were granted only one-and-a-half hour before.
“A large number of officers are openly threatening, pressurising and scaring Congress workers,” the party charged.
