EC uncover on ‘payment card’ adverts: Cong accuses poll panel of bias, seeks further time to submit detailed response

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress has accused the Election Commission of “bias” over its uncover on the event’s “corruption rate card” commercials specializing in the BJP authorities in Karnataka and acknowledged its leaders are held to a traditional that seems reserved only for the Opposition.

Despite the Congress bringing to the EC’s uncover on fairly just a few occasions the “brazen and repeated” violations of electoral pointers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and completely different BJP leaders, the payment has not issued one uncover or condemnation, the Congress acknowledged on Sunday.

In the Congress’ “preliminary response”, event chief and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi moreover acknowledged the 24-hour window equipped by the EC for responding to the uncover was insufficient with the Karnataka assembly poll advertising and marketing marketing campaign drawing to an in depth.

The EC had on Saturday issued a uncover to the Karnataka Congress over its “corruption rate card” commercials printed in newspapers inside the run-up to the May 10 state polls and sought “empirical evidence” to indicate its allegations by Sunday evening.

The uncover was issued following a criticism lodged by the BJP.

The Congress had launched a set of posters and commercials itemizing “corruption rates” inside the state between 2019 and 2023 whereas terming the BJP authorities a “trouble engine”.

“The actions of the Commission are prima facie violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which provide a fundamental guarantee against arbitrariness in administrative action as well as against bias, official acts of mala fide, violations of natural justice and which provide the most vital guarantee of equality,” the Congress acknowledged.

“It is clear that the Indian National Congress is being subject to unfair and unequal treatment by the Commission. Leaders of the INC are held to a standard that seems to be reserved only for the opposition. They are asked to explain themselves for the slightest perceived offence and their advertisements are flagged for content that is far tamer than the ones allowed for the BJP,” it acknowledged.

The EC can under no circumstances allow itself to be seen as an organisation that turns a “Nelsonial blind eye” to egregious violations by the ruling event, it acknowledged.

“This proactive zeal seems to be reserved solely for the Opposition, as we have through numerous detailed, documented and numbered representations sought to bring to the Commission’s attention the brazen, shocking, egregious, heinous and repeated violations of almost every single electoral guideline, by Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Amit Shah, Shri J P Nadda, Shri Adityanath as well as other BJP leaders,” it acknowledged.

“Yet not one show cause notice has been issued for these deliberate violations. Forget pursuing criminal proceedings, not one condemnation or censure has been issued to name and shame these individuals by the Commission,” it added.

The Congress acknowledged this can be the first time in historic previous that the EC has summoned a nationwide event to supply proof in help of a political industrial.

“The Election Commission, with its vast powers of superintendence, could have chosen to investigate the allegations, evidence of which is available in the public domain but instead it has chosen to go after the party that is shedding light on the rampant corruption plaguing the people of the state,” it acknowledged.

It acknowledged BJP MLA Yatnal, who publicly spoke in regards to the chief minister’s put up being “sold” for Rs 2,500 crore, has been renominated as a candidate by the BJP and plenty of different event legislators have been declaring via public statements the issue of rampant corruption inside the Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka authorities, the Congress acknowledged.

Even the Contractors Association of Karnataka, comprising 50,000 contractors, has publicly spoken in regards to the “40 per cent commission being demanded by the Bommai government” and even named varied BJP legislators, it acknowledged.

The opposition event, nonetheless, recognized that its political industrial beneath scrutiny has no level out of the BJP nor does it title any explicit particular person or candidate belonging to the acknowledged event.

The Congress acknowledged extra that the time equipped by the EC for submitting its response was “insufficient”.

“While we are submitting this preliminary response out of our sheer regard for the constitutional role of the ECI, we reserve both the right to be heard in person as well as the right to submit additional documents and pleadings as there are barely 24 hours left for the close of campaigning,” it acknowledged.

“The Indian National Congress, being a responsible national political party, will also be pleased to collate the said evidence for you and present them provided that we are given reasonable time and an in-person hearing,” it acknowledged.

NEW DELHI: The Congress has accused the Election Commission of “bias” over its uncover on the event’s “corruption rate card” commercials specializing in the BJP authorities in Karnataka and acknowledged its leaders are held to a traditional that seems reserved only for the Opposition.

Despite the Congress bringing to the EC’s uncover on fairly just a few occasions the “brazen and repeated” violations of electoral pointers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and completely different BJP leaders, the payment has not issued one uncover or condemnation, the Congress acknowledged on Sunday.

In the Congress’ “preliminary response”, event chief and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi moreover acknowledged the 24-hour window equipped by the EC for responding to the uncover was insufficient with the Karnataka assembly poll advertising and marketing marketing campaign drawing to an in depth.googletag.cmd.push(carry out() googletag.present(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

The EC had on Saturday issued a uncover to the Karnataka Congress over its “corruption rate card” commercials printed in newspapers inside the run-up to the May 10 state polls and sought “empirical evidence” to indicate its allegations by Sunday evening.

The uncover was issued following a criticism lodged by the BJP.

The Congress had launched a set of posters and commercials itemizing “corruption rates” inside the state between 2019 and 2023 whereas terming the BJP authorities a “trouble engine”.

“The actions of the Commission are prima facie violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which provide a fundamental guarantee against arbitrariness in administrative action as well as against bias, official acts of mala fide, violations of natural justice and which provide the most vital guarantee of equality,” the Congress acknowledged.

“It is clear that the Indian National Congress is being subject to unfair and unequal treatment by the Commission. Leaders of the INC are held to a standard that seems to be reserved only for the opposition. They are asked to explain themselves for the slightest perceived offence and their advertisements are flagged for content that is far tamer than the ones allowed for the BJP,” it acknowledged.

The EC can under no circumstances allow itself to be seen as an organisation that turns a “Nelsonial blind eye” to egregious violations by the ruling event, it acknowledged.

“This proactive zeal seems to be reserved solely for the Opposition, as we have through numerous detailed, documented and numbered representations sought to bring to the Commission’s attention the brazen, shocking, egregious, heinous and repeated violations of almost every single electoral guideline, by Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Amit Shah, Shri J P Nadda, Shri Adityanath as well as other BJP leaders,” it acknowledged.

“Yet not one show cause notice has been issued for these deliberate violations. Forget pursuing criminal proceedings, not one condemnation or censure has been issued to name and shame these individuals by the Commission,” it added.

The Congress acknowledged this can be the first time in historic previous that the EC has summoned a nationwide event to supply proof in help of a political industrial.

“The Election Commission, with its vast powers of superintendence, could have chosen to investigate the allegations, evidence of which is available in the public domain but instead it has chosen to go after the party that is shedding light on the rampant corruption plaguing the people of the state,” it acknowledged.

It acknowledged BJP MLA Yatnal, who publicly spoke in regards to the chief minister’s put up being “sold” for Rs 2,500 crore, has been renominated as a candidate by the BJP and plenty of different event legislators have been declaring via public statements the issue of rampant corruption inside the Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka authorities, the Congress acknowledged.

Even the Contractors Association of Karnataka, comprising 50,000 contractors, has publicly spoken in regards to the “40 per cent commission being demanded by the Bommai government” and even named varied BJP legislators, it acknowledged.

The opposition event, nonetheless, recognized that its political industrial beneath scrutiny has no level out of the BJP nor does it title any explicit particular person or candidate belonging to the acknowledged event.

The Congress acknowledged extra that the time equipped by the EC for submitting its response was “insufficient”.

“While we are submitting this preliminary response out of our sheer regard for the constitutional role of the ECI, we reserve both the right to be heard in person as well as the right to submit additional documents and pleadings as there are barely 24 hours left for the close of campaigning,” it acknowledged.

“The Indian National Congress, being a responsible national political party, will also be pleased to collate the said evidence for you and present them provided that we are given reasonable time and an in-person hearing,” it acknowledged.