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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  In EC-BJP face-off over Varanasi rally, Narendra Modi plays the victim
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In EC-BJP face-off over Varanasi rally, Narendra Modi plays the victim

Face-off between the poll panel and the BJP's prime ministerial candidate escalates into a full-blown war of words

A file photo of Narendra Modi. Photo: APPremium
A file photo of Narendra Modi. Photo: AP

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) stopped Narendra Modi from holding a campaign rally in Varanasi because it was an “issue of life and security", it said on Thursday, as the face-off between the poll panel and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate escalated into a full-blown war of words.

With less than a week to go before the end of polling on 12 May, neither side seemed willing to back down. While Modi accused the EC of bias, saying it favoured the incumbent Congress, the Commission slammed BJP leaders, saying it is “not afraid of any political party".

In a meeting with chief election commissioner V.S. Sampath in New Delhi, several leaders of the BJP, which is projected by most opinion polls to win the general election, demanded the removal of the Varanasi district magistrate (DM) who had withheld permission for Modi to hold one of two planned campaign rallies in the town.

But Sampath defended the officer, who is also the Varanasi returning officer, saying: “When the security and suitability issues are involved, EC naturally will go by the professional advice taken at the district level."

“The competent local authority, DM and his team, took the decision taking into consideration relevant professional advice on security. There is no reason to deviate from the decision taken at the district level, specially when the issue of life and security are concerned," Sampath added.

Hours earlier, Modi, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi and Vadodara, told an excited crowd in Rohiniya, 12km from the holy city: “With full responsibility, I’m accusing India’s Election Commission of discrimination."

“The Congress must understand. The people have defeated you, the Election Commission can’t make you win," he added, as senior leaders from his party led a protest march to the EC office in central Delhi, prompting police to issue prohibitory orders.

The BJP had applied for two campaign rallies by Modi, along with a prayer ceremony at the Ganga river (Ganga aarti) and a meeting between Modi and a group of intellectuals in a hotel.

The EC clarified that it gave permission for one public meeting, the rituals at the banks of Ganga and the hotel meeting but denied permission for a rally in Beniyabad area because of security concerns.

It said it took the decision only after holding discussions with the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh and director general of police. The BJP claimed that the decision allowing it to hold a meeting on the banks of the Ganga was communicated to it late by the returning officer, making it impossible to organize the event.

“It is unfortunate that EC is not concerned about the institution’s neutrality. That is why our karyakartas (workers) have to embark on a Satyagraha," Modi said on his Twitter handle. “My profound apologies to Ganga Maa for not being able to perform aarti today. Wish these people know that a mother’s love is above politics."

In an interview with Times Now channel on Thursday night, Modi said the EC’s talk of a security threat had “stunned" him.

“Seven days ago, the home minister of the country stated that Modi faced no security threat, that there was nothing to worry about. At a press conference, (finance minister P.) Chidambaram said that the security arrangements were done so well that Modi had addressed 400 rallies without a hitch...And suddenly, they say otherwise yesterday. Then, one feels that there is something amiss."

“We feel that Constitutional institutions must be respected. The Election Commission should be given the utmost respect. That is why we should not think of adopting unconstitutional means against the Election Commission. But, when that recourse is denied to us, we have the right in a democracy to register our protest under the ambit of the Constitution. We will never step out of that."

“It is up to the Election Commission to answer why we are being troubled. Specifically, why a single party is being troubled, why Modi is being troubled. A lot has happened to me, but I don’t want to get into it right now. Let the Election Commission take a decision."

The EC, however, stood its ground while denying Modi’s charges.

“The Election Commission appeals to senior leaders to show greater restraint while referring to the Election Commission," Sampath said. “EC is not afraid of any political party or entity in discharging its duty.

“The district collector and his team was unable to give permission for the public meeting in Beniyabad due to security reasons. We deplore all attempt to cast aspersions on the Constitutional institutions."

A.K. Verma, a Kanpur-based political analyst, said there was no substantive reason to deny Modi a public meeting because he had been allowed to hold another rally and perform rituals on the banks of Ganga, and suggested that the EC had played into Modi’s hand by doing this.

“If there was a security risk then why did Election Commission allow these political events of Narendra Modi? Political parties and leaders try to build an emotive environment using even a small event," Verma said.

On Thursday, BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah, a close aide of Modi who is coordinating his campaign in Uttar Pradesh, sat on a protest in Varanasi.

In his speech outside Varanasi Modi dismissed the claim that there was a security threat. “If I can address a rally here, what’s the security threat 12kms away from here?...Can’t this mother-son duo’s government provide security for one person?" he asked referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

However, the Congress hit back, with finance minister P. Chidambaram saying the BJP appeared to be getting “a bit desperate".

Chidambaram slammed what he called Modi’s “outrageous comments against EC" which, he said, “speaks more about him than the EC".

PTI contributed to this story.

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Published: 08 May 2014, 01:06 PM IST
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