Nod to Modi rally denied on basis of Guj police input: EC

Amid all-out attack by BJP, the Election Commission today said permission to Narendra Modi's rally in Varanasi city was denied after Gujarat police said the venue was not suitable but regretted the "delay" in conveying the decision to the party concerned.

A Gujarat police official, who was part of the Advance Security Liasion team of BJP Prime Minestrial candidate, had "indicated" that the chosen ground for holding the rally was not a "desirable" place for the VIP to attend, Election Commissioner H S Brahma said here.

The Gujarat police official said it would "not be possible" to hold a rally at the venue as it was "highly congested" and "complicated", Brahma said during an interaction with Indian Women Press Corps.

Modi, who is contesting from Varanasi, was to address the rally in Benia Bagh area of the city yesterday but the district authorities denied permission citing security reasons.

Describing the permission issue as "purely an operational problem", Brahma said, "You are entitled to take a decision under law. You have a right and duty to take a decision."

However, at the same time, he said, "the person has a right to know yes or no... It should be communicated in an appropriate time. My only point is that there should be no delay in saying a yes or no."

Terming the entire episode as "unfortunate", the Commissioner said things "should not have escalated" to a level that it comes to the central poll.

Brahma said that since Varanasi was a VIP constituency and the authorities were dealing with "a very important" personality, the decisions should have been conveyed fast so that issues do not crop up.

The authorities should be "prompt" and quicken the process, he said, adding "if you take 20 minutes normally, you should, may be take 10 mins or 5 mins."