A delegation of senior BJP leaders on Monday requested the Election Commission (EC) not to ban the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rallies in Bihar as demanded by the rival political alliance in the State.
The party said the commission assured it that live telecast will not be banned.
“The Election Commission of India on Monday rejected the demand of the Congress, the RJD and the JD(U) for a ban on live telecast of rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar. The Commission has also assured to consider appropriately BJP’s demand for a CBI probe into ‘extortion of money’ by Bihar Government Ministers and leaders of ruling party in the State,” the party leaders said in a statement after their meeting with the members of the Commission.
Union Minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who led the delegation, said “The Commission assured us that the live telecast will not be banned.”
Naqvi was accompanied by party general secretary Arun Singh, party’s Rajya Sabha Member Chandan Mitra, party spokesperson Sambit Patra and party’s secretary Siddharth Nath Singh.
BJP leaders also complained to the Commission that the RJD, the JD(U) and the Congress were repeatedly trying to create obstruction in fair, fear-free, corruption-free elections in Bihar.
Naqvi said the BJP delegation told the Commission that by banning live telecast, voters of constituencies which are yet to go to polls would not be able to listen to the senior party leader who is leading BJP’s election campaign.
A memorandum submitted by the delegation alleged that by seeking a ban on life telecast the JDU-RJD-Congress alliance was trying to “attack democratic values”.
The delegation also demanded a CBI probe into the sting operation which showed Bihar Minister Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha allegedly accepting bribe.
Kushwaha, who held the portfolios of Urban Development and Registration, Excise and Prohibition departments, had Sunday resigned from the Nitish Kumar Cabinet after a video went viral on social networking sites where he was purportedly shown accepting money from a Mumbai-based businessman in return of favours.
The Commission has already asked Income Tax authorities to investigate the case.
Naqvi maintained that video, showing extortion of money by the Bihar Government Ministers and State’s ruling party leaders,
“has proved that the current Bihar Government and their party are openly involved in corrupt practices.”