Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
India

Modi rally disallowed on security grounds on local advice, says CEC

Darpan News Desk IANS, 08 May, 2014 09:56 AM
  • Modi rally disallowed on security grounds on local advice, says CEC
Dismissing the BJP's allegations of lack of neutrality, Chief Election Commissioner V.S.Sampath Thursday said the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was denied permission to hold a rally in his constituency Varanasi following "professional advice on security grounds".
 
He also said that the party's demand to have the returning officer of the constituency removed was being looked into, while deploring "attempts to cast aspersions on the ECI at a very sensitive juncture of the poll process"a, which also "cause long-term damage" to the institution.
 
On the permission sought by BJP to hold a rally in Beniabagh, Sampath said that the poll panel took the feedback from the Varanasi district magistrate, who is also the returning officer and it was "decided that permission could not be granted on security grounds". 
 
"When issues of security and suitability are involved, the commission would go by the professional advice and expertise" of the local authorities, he said.
 
Sampath said that an appeal was made by the Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday to review its request to hold the rally at the venue. 
 
"After consulting the chief secretary and the director general of police of the state (Uttar Pradesh), no reason was found to deviate from the decision taken on the advice of the local authorities," he said.
 
"This has unfortunately become a bone of contention where security and suitability issues were involved. The EC would naturally go by professional advice and the local administration cannot be ignored," he added.
 
"I do not think the Election Commission can be faulted...We have always acted in the interest of upholding the constitution," he added.
 
The CEC asked the political parties to "understand" when permission to hold rallies could not be granted due to certain "complexities" involved. 
 
"We deplore attempts to cast aspersions on the EC at a very sensitive juncture of the poll process. This could cause long-term damage to the EC," he said.
 
On the issue of removing the Varanasi returning officer, as demanded by the BJP, Sampath said that in denying permission to hold the rally at Beniabagh, the officer had tendered his "professional advice". 
 
However, he added that the BJP has presented "more instances" of alleged lack of neutral conduct on the part of the RO and that they "will be inquired into".
 
"Officers are transferred only when necessary, after we have made our independent verification," he said.
 
Thousands of BJP activists protested in Varanasi and New Delhi against the Election Commission's curb on the Beniabagh rally.
 
Before Modi flew into the Hindu holy city Thursday evening to address one rally that got the poll panel's green signal late Wednesday, a virtual army of BJP workers and leaders staged noisy demonstrations outside the Banaras Hindu University and the district magistrate's office.
 
Sampath also said that the EC was looking into the complaint that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was present at a booth inspecting an electronic voting machine in Amethi while polling was on Wednesday. "We have asked for a factual report on the matter," he said.

MORE India ARTICLES

India successfully test-fires Akash missile

India successfully test-fires Akash missile
India Friday successfully test-fired its Akash medium-range surface-to-air missile from a defence base in Odisha for the second time in two days, an official said.

India successfully test-fires Akash missile

Police looking for bald man in Chennai train blasts

Police looking for bald man in Chennai train blasts
Tamil Nadu Police Friday said they found the movements of a bald man who disembarked from the train and ran away before the twin bomb blasts as unusual and would like to question him during investigation.

Police looking for bald man in Chennai train blasts

Prasar Bharati CEO takes on Tewari, admits Modi interview edited

Prasar Bharati CEO takes on Tewari, admits Modi interview edited
In a hard-hitting letter, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar Friday acknowledged that certain portions of the Narendra Modi interview on Doordarshan "were apparently edited" and pointed a finger at Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari for failing to grant "operational autonomy" to the public broadcaster that it has been seeking for years.

Prasar Bharati CEO takes on Tewari, admits Modi interview edited

TDP, BJP two sides of same coin: Sonia Gandhi

TDP, BJP two sides of same coin: Sonia Gandhi
Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday described Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the two sides of the same coin.

TDP, BJP two sides of same coin: Sonia Gandhi

2G case: Court summons Raja, Kanimozhi for money laundering

2G case: Court summons Raja, Kanimozhi for money laundering
A Delhi court Friday summoned former telecom minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal with 16 others for money laundering in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

2G case: Court summons Raja, Kanimozhi for money laundering

11 killed in two attacks in Assam

At least 11 people were killed and three injured when suspected militants opened indiscriminate fire in two Assam villages, police said Friday, prompting the state government to deploy the army.

11 killed in two attacks in Assam