From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday questioned the election commission for not announcing simultaneous Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat despite fixing the counting of votes in both states on the same day on December 8.
Former Rajasthan Health Minister and Congress in-charge of the Gujarat polls Dr Raghu Sharma asserted in response to a question at a press conference here along with AICC national spokesman Pawan Khera that the Congress was only seeking clarification and not levelling any charges on the Election Commission.
“The Code of Conduct is automatically enforced on the day of announcement of the elections and the Congress has a right to ask why this code was enforced late by declaring the elections on Thursday. We have the right to ask questions,” he said.
In reply to a question, he said the Prime Minister talked of “revadi” as poll freebies only because of the EC’s activism to write a letter to all political parties. He said the EC should answer why it did not similarly write letters on the electoral bonds.
On a question on selection of the candidates, Dr Raghu Sharma said the party has already held four marathon meetings and one central election committee meeting has been already held and another is slated on Friday. “We are fully prepared, but leave it up to us on strategically when and which names to be announced,” he said.
Khera said not only the Election Commission, but every institution in democracy has to answer question. They are not immune to questions and they should not hide behind anything.
He said the EC became very active asking all parties for their opinion on Revadi culture when the PM uttered the word “Revadi,” but the same EC opts to stay silent on the Electoral Bonds, whose opacity is for everyone to see. He said the people have the right to know which party got how much money through the electoral bonds.
Khera said Morbi was a tragedy, but the Prime Minister did not postpone his programmes, changing his attire thrice a day. He pointed out how the hospital in Morbi was being spruced up just one day before the PM’s visit, putting a water cooler without any water connection. He said this is the BJP’s “lipapoti model,” a cosmetic model of Gujarat and this is the Gujarat model of corruption and commission.
On the AAP entering the fray in the Gujarat polls, Dr Raghu Sharma said the Congress campaign is quite clear that it is there not to form the government but damage the Congress votes. He said the Congress has ensured that there is no space for AAP since “we have ensured that it is a bipolar politics between Congress and BJP” as in the past.
