lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Apr 16, 2019 21:22 IST

The Congress on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to probe a “mysterious box” that was allegedly removed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi helicopter and taken to a car in Karnataka’s Chitradurga.

In its complaint, the Congress asked the election commission to “exercise its constitutional powers under Article 324 of the Constitution of India”.

The opposition party also mentioned the incident of April 9, when cash worth crores was seized at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. “It would not be entirely out of place to assume that the black box which has been transported in a hurried and clandestine manner could be part of the same modus operandi to carry large sums of cash. While this is a hypothesis it is, as stated above, supported by a recent incident in Pasighat,” the Congress complaint said.

Saying that it is important that an investigation be initiated in this matter, the Congress said, “It would be shocking if top leaders of the BJP are acting as safe havens in carrying out such heinous violations of not just the Electoral but also the Criminal laws of the country.”

Apart from this, the Congress has also raised four other issues including that of the PM’s photograph being used on railway tickets, that no action had been taken against the PM and the BJP chief for their speeches with religious overtones in Nanded and Latur on April 12.

The Congress also brought to raised the issue of alleged use of obscene language by Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti against Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

In its complaint, the Congress said that when Satti had been confronted by members of the public for his vulgar remarks, Satti was defiant and refused to apologise.

The Congress asked the election commission to “take all such actions as may be necessary and required in law and direct immediate barring of the Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti from holding rallies and addressing public gatherings.”

The Congress also complained against the Prime Minister’s statement in Nanded that the Congress president had chosen a seat where the majority was in minority, a reference to Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad in Kerala. At the same time, it also brought into the ambit of the complaint BJP chief Amit Shah and referred to his statement in Nagpur regarding Rahul Gandhi’s road show in Wayanad ahead of filing his nomination papers. In his speech at Nagpur, Shah had said, “The election procession taken out by Rahul at Waynad in Kerala after filing his nomination papers was such that one wondered if it was done in neighbouring country (referring to green flags).”

“The PM’s and Shri Amit Shah’s violations have in fact, grown ever more brazen and audacious in their actions and comments. Given its recent (and laudable) order of April 15th, 2019 the ECI must take immediate steps or risk establishing a clear double standard,” the Congress wrote in its complaint.