A high-level BJP delegation which visited the Election Commission here on Thursday demanded withdrawal of a case against party president Amit Shah and sought that RJD leader lalu Prasad be booked under stricter provisions of law for making “highly offensive” comments against the former.
The party alleged that the Bihar administration and State officials, including those acting as EC’s representatives, are working under the instruction of the JD(U) Government and not that of the commission.
“The Election Commission of India must take serious cognisance of this sorry state of affairs and should ensure that the administrative functionaries discharge their obligations and perform their functions without in any manner being influenced by any political consideration of the present State Government,” said the BJP team led by Union Parliamentary Minster M Venkaiah Niadu.
Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Nirmala Sitharaman and party general secretary Arun Singh were also part of the delegation that submitted a letter to the EC.
Referring to the speech of Shah during the ongoing Bihar poll campaign, the BJP said the party leader sought “to inform the electorate” about the integrity and credentials of lalu Prasad “who is accused of, investigated and tried and convicted” for a huge financial chara ghotala ‘fodder scam.
Shah, the BJP’s letter said, used an expression chara chor which is the expression used throughout the country. “The said statement merely reflects a statement of fact based upon conviction by a competent court,” the BJP affirmed.
As against this, the BJP leaders submitted before the EC that lalu used “an absolutely unparliamentary and derogatory expression” of narbhakshi ‘cannibal’ against the BJP president.
The BJP demanded the case against Shah be withdrawn and the RJD leader as well as MIM leader Owaisi must be booked for harsher provisions of law.