After Narendra Modi’s aide Amit Shah, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje has come under attack for her remarks, with Congress on Sunday approaching the Election Commission seeking the BJP leader’s arrest over her “open threat” at an election rally in Karauli.
The party shot off a letter to Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath, demanding that she be booked and action taken against her for alleged violation of mode code of conduct.
In Jaipur, the Aam Aadmi Party also moved the EC, urging it to ensure action against Ms. Raje for her “provocative” remarks.
In his letter to CEC, Secretary of AICC Legal Department K.C. Mittal claimed that Ms. Raje had said that “let the elections be over, we will see who is cut into pieces” at the rally.
Ms. Raje had allegedly made the comments while referring to the controversial remarks by Saharanpur Congress candidate Imran Masood in which he had said threatened to chop Mr. Modi into pieces.
“Her (Raje’s) statement is an open threat, deliberately and intentionally made, which is a criminal offence. She is holding a constitutional post as Chief Minister, Rajasthan and is under an oath to uphold the law and order, the Constitution of India and to maintain the sanctity and propriety of the office of Chief Minister. She cannot and should not take liberty to act in such a fashion, while holding such an office, to commit such crime. In her statement, she mentioned about the alleged statement of Sh. Imran Masood, Congress candidate from Saharanpur, but both the cases are not comparable,” Mr. Mittal said in the letter.
Terming it as clear case for immediate registration of FIR against her, the Congress leader insisted that “she should be arrested, apart from action for violation of Model Code of Conduct”.
Mr. Mittal argued that even though the statement by Mr. Masood is claimed to be seven months old when he had not even joined Congress, the matter is already under investigation after registration of FIR.
The EC is also looking into the Congress complaint against Mr. Shah. Election authorities in Uttar Pradesh have sent a CD containing controversial remarks by Narendra Modi’s close aide Amit Shah along with the report of District Election Officer to EC.
The EC is likely to take a call on the issue in its meeting tomorrow.
The BJP leader has sparked a row with his comment that the general election, especially in western UP, is “an election for honour. It is an election to take revenge for the insult. It an election to teach a lesson to those who have committed injustice”.
Congress has demanded the arrest of Mr. Shah for his remarks while BJP has said that he had talked of taking revenge from Congress and his statement was not against any particular community.
Mr. Mittal also said that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has already disapproved of Mr. Masood’s statement.
“There was no provocation or logic for her to retaliate in such a manner, nor can she justify her threat statement under any law, which doesn’t follow the theory of retribution. This was a calculated statement premeditated to muster electoral support with impunity,” he said.
“It is quite baffling to see a Head of a state making such offensive statement. Further, it is quite flabbergasting to note that no FIR has been filed so far against her. Perhaps it is her office of Chief Minister which seems to be preventing the local police to register an FIR and arrest her. Her complicity can’t be condoned,” Mr. Mittal said in the letter.
