The poll campaign got even more bitter and personal on Friday as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over the disclosure of his marital status in an affidavit to the Election Commission and the Congress moved the poll panel asking it to take action against Modi for violating laws by hiding facts in previous election affidavits. The BJP denied the charges and said such an action by the Congress showed its desperation.
Addressing an election rally along with Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in support of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in Doda, Rahul targeted Modi for never acknowledging his wife in the past. Rahul also took a dig at the BJP’s high voltage campaign seeking to empower women if voted to power.
Rahul said that BJP made claims of ensuring safety of women, but it took several elections for its own prime ministerial candidate to mention the name of his wife in the poll affidavit. “Don’t know how many elections he has contested till now, but he has revealed for the first time that he is married. In Delhi, he talks about honour of women, but his own wife’s name doesn’t even reach the affidavit.”
On Wednesday, Modi, in his poll affidavit as the BJP’s candidate from Vadodara in Gujarat, wrote the name “Jashodaben” in the column for spouse — a field he had left blank in the four Assembly elections he contested in the past.
Coming out in Modi’s defence his elder brother Somabhai Damodar Modi on Thursday said the marriage was a formality and he gave it up to serve the country.
Reacting sharply to Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Modi, the BJP asked why an issue was being made out of it when Modi “never lied” on the matter and there was “no aggrieved party.”
Former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said after the Supreme Court’s ruling (that the issue was between nominee and the EC) Modi has explained his stand and it was now for the Returning Officer to decide what needed to be done on the issue. “If there is anything wrong in the affidavit, the EC will decide,” Naidu said answering a question on the issue.
Earlier, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman said: “Rahul should not make any statement hurriedly before going through the affidavit.”
“I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that he should read the affidavit carefully. Whatever information he (Modi) is giving is all correct and he has never lied on this,” Seetharaman said.
When asked about women’s groups raising the issue of denial of rights to Modi’s wife Jashodaben for many years, she said: “let’s ask questions to those women groups. Are they trying to justify child marriageIJ Here is a case where both of them have very clearly come out to say what their position is. Modi’s brother has also explained it.”
“The lady does not feel aggrieved here,” she said.
She hit out at women’s groups saying: “Where are these women rights groupsIJ Shouldn’t they be attending to Mulayam Singh’s comment rather than here where there is no aggrieved party.”
Meanwhile, the Congress approached the EC asking it to file an FIR against Modi for “hiding facts,” “violating laws” and “misleading the nation” in the affidavits.
“I have filed a petition with the EC seeking action against Modi under various provisions of the IPC for hiding facts in his election affidavits regarding his marriage,” said senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal after meeting the poll panel.
“On at least four occasions Modi left the marital status in the affidavit blank. Hiding facts in an affidavit is a criminal offense. It is a clear violation of laws under Section 125 (A) of the Representation of People Act,” said Sibal. Sibal said that between 2002 and 2012, Modi had filed four election affidavits while contesting Gujarat Assembly elections where he had not mentioned his marital status. Sibal said the EC has assured him that they will examine the plea.