The returning officer of Varanasi denied giving permission for holding any programme of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the city, including public meeting at Beniabagh grounds and Ganga pujan.
The BJP will stage a dharna and observe satyagraha at lanka in protest against the denial of permission by the returning officer. It also demanded removal of the returning officer, saying that he should not remain in the district for even a single minute.The BJP also accused the Chief Election Commissioner of maintaining silence on this issue despite being informed much earlier about it. But Modi will address a public rally at a school in Rohania at 4 pm.
We have sought permission from the returning officer to organise a public meeting of Narendra Modi in Beniabagh Ground on Thursday and a meeting with about 150 intellectuals at a hotel in Cantonment area in the evening on the same day, BJP senior leader and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, said, adding that the party had also sought permission for Ganga puja by the BJP prime ministerial candidate.
The reason given by the returning officer for denying the permission was that one Khan had already submitted application for permission to hoist flag at Beniabagh grounds on the same day and thus the permission for public meeting of Modi could not be given, Jaitley said. He, however, added that the returning officer was lying as Khan had not submitted any application earlier as the date was not on the treasury records.
“On this morning, the RO gave reason that the IB has given input that if the public meeting is held and the permission for Ganga pujan is given there would be security problems,” Jaitley said, adding that he had found out from his sources that the IB had not given any such input. The reason given by the returning officer for denying permission for Modi’s meeting with intellectuals was that the BJP prime ministerial would pass through city areas to the meeting venue and this would create security problems, Jaitley said adding that it showed that the RO had become a “threat” to the impartial election in the Varanasi constituency from where Modi is the BJP candidate.
Jaitley informed the Chief Election Commissioner on phone about the denial of permission for Modi’s programmes and shot off three letters to the Election Commission, seeking its intervention.While expressing surprise at the silence of the Election Commission on this issue, Jaitley said: “The RO should not remain here even for single minute because he is serious threat for free and fair election in the constituency and thus the party demands his removal from here.”
In protest against the partial attitude of the RO, Jaitley and party’s senior leaders Amit Shah, Anant Kumar and laxmikant Bajpai would stage a dharna and observe satyagraha at main BHU gate in lanka at 11 am on Thursday. But Modi will address a public rally at Jagatganj Inter College grounds in Rohania at 4 pm the same day and from there he would reach the BHU helipad by a helicopter, Jaitley said, adding that from the helipad, Modi would reach party’s central office in Sigra by road.
On the role of Chief Election Commissioner in this matter, the BJP leader said “a weak person holding key post is a threat to democracy”. Jaitley denied that the BJP had mentioned an alternative place along with Beniabagh grounds, as was being claimed by the RO, and added that alternative site and the option given by the returning officer had a capacity of only 2000 gathering.
Jaitley also blamed the RO for ordering the BlO not to start door to door distribution of the electoral slip to make the polling percentage low. On this occasion, Amit Shah, Anant Kumar and laxmikant Bajpai were also present.