Congress president Rahul Gandhi has denied the allegations of violation of the model code of conduct in his speech at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh on April 23. Responding to the Election Commission's notice, Mr. Gandhi is learnt to have said that his comments pertained to the draft Indian Forest Act. The proposed legislation empowers forest officers to keep weapons. The EC had sent the notice on allegations by the BJP that during the speech, the Congress chief said that Narendra Modi had brought in a new law under which tribal people could be shot at. “They snatch away your land, jungle and water…and then, say that the tribal people can be shot at,” Mr. Gandhi had said, according to the complaint.
