State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Srichand Sundarani on Tuesday alleged that the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Chhattisgarh is acting on the complaints of the Opposition Congress on alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct while ignoring BJP’s complaints on similar issues.
“State Congress convener Bhupesh Baghel went about getting hoardings installed and banners posted with his ‘Well Wisher Message’ by not only utilising the electricity poles but also Government property without seeking any official permission, he alleged in a news conference held here . He said that Baghel also violated Model Code of Conduct by holding a caste-based rally in Giroudpuri.
The BJP also complained about tankers carrying the picture of Raipur City Mayor Kiranmayee Nayak but no action was taken against her, Sundarani said.
On the other hand, the Chief Electoral Officer decided to act against BJP’s Kanhaiyalal Chhughani for what Congress alleged as violation of Model Code of Conduct, he said.
The BJP had also complained about the anomalies in voter list in Raipur Rural constituency with sufficient proof but no action was taken on the issue, Sundarani said.
“The fact remains that the Congress is already in the poll fray with a ‘defeat mentality’ and that is the reason behind the party raising some or the other issue during poll time,” he said. On the latest Congress allegation on Chief Minister Raman Singh’s birthday where a lunch was hosted by him for the party workers in Rajnandgaon, Sundarani said that the Congress has no business levelling charges against the former while stating that it was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The Congress had also started coming out with a statement that Chief Minister Raman Singh should not contest polls from Rajnandgaon, he said, adding “Dr Raman Singh is the Chief Minister of the State and MlA from Rajnandagaon and the BJP does not need advice from the Opposition as to from where the Chief Minister must contest elections.”
The BJP had jumped into the poll fray with two key agendas mainly — A decade of development in Chhattisgarh brought about by the ruling BJP Government and to generate awareness about the corruption in the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Sundarani added.