The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena to conduct a detailed inquiry and submit a report on the alleged protocol and Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations during the public meeting organised by the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance at Boppudi village, near Chilakaluripeta, in Palnadu district on March 17 (Sunday).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the public meeting, titled ‘Praja Galam’, along with TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan. In fact, it was the first meeting the Prime Minister had addressed after the three parties joined hands.
Mr. Meena, in an interaction with the mediapersons who met him at the Secretariat, said that the ECI on March 21 (Thursday) instructed him to conduct a detailed inquiry into the issue and submit a factual report immediately.
Mr. Meena, while stating that he did not focus on the issue as the Ministry of Home Affairs was directly inquiring into it, said, “On the directions of the ECI, now I have taken up investigation and will submit a report shortly.”
Meanwhile, the Superintendents of Police of thee districts (Prakasam, Nandyal and Palnadu) attended the inquiry at the CEO’s office and submitted the status reports on the violent incidents that had been reported after the MCC came into force in their respective districts.
Mr. Meena said the ECI had taken serious note of the two murders that had been committed hours after MCC came into force. The murder reported in Prakasam district was politically motivated, and the police had taken action against the accused, he said. The murder committed in Nandyal was not political, and it turned out to be a rivalry within family members, he added.
With regard to the violence at Macherla, in which a car was torched, Mr. Meena said it was a political rivalry between two parties, and that the SP was instructed to arrest the accused involved in it.
Mr. Meena said he would be submitting a report to the ECI on the three violent incidents based on the replies given by the SPs concerned.
Meanwhile, the CEO instructed the three SPs to conduct all-party meetings and warn the participants that violence would not be tolerated.
