Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal was issued a show-cause notice by the Election Commission on Tuesday, the second in the last three days, for “prima facie” violation of the poll code: he allegedly made a provocative speech in which he asked voters to take bribes from the BJP and the Congress but only to vote for his party.
The statement, the EC notice said, was made at a public rally on January 18 in the capital’s Uttam Nagar and it amounted to “abetting and promoting the electoral offence of bribery” under the relevant sections of the Representation of People Act read with the IPC.
In the speech that invited the EC notice, Mr. Kejriwal said, “It’s election time. When people both from BJP and Congress come offering money, don’t refuse, accept…some have looted money from 2G, some have looted money from coal scam...Take money from both the parties but vote for AAP…We will fool them this time. They have been deceiving us for the last 65 years. Now it’s our turn.”
EC notice after review of speech CD
The EC notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal follows complaints from political parties: the Commission had asked the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi to submit a CD of the speech made, for a review by it.
Mr. Kejriwal has been asked to respond and present his side by 4 p.m. on Thursday, failing which the EC “shall take a decision without any further reference” to him.
The Commission’s notice says the Model Code of Conduct envisages that parties and candidates participating in the electoral fray shall “avoid scrupulously all activities which are corrupt practices and offences under the election law, such as bribing of voters.”
On January 17 the AAP leader was issued a show-cause notice by the EC for “prima facie” violating the code with remarks alleging that the BJP was trying to incite communal violence in Delhi. The deadline for his reply to that notice was Tuesday but, the EC, accepting Mr. Kejriwal’s request, gave him three more days to respond.
