BJP workers protest denial of permission for Modi's rally

BJP workers today took out a protest march to the Election Commission to protest the denial of permission for Narendra Modi's rally in Varanasi as Delhi Police imposed prohibitory orders around the poll panel's complex here in order to stop the march.

BJP workers led by leaders Venkaiah Naidu, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ravi Shankar Prasad took out a protest march from Delhi BJP office to the headquarters of the Election Commission.

Section 144 of the CrPC restricting gathering of people was imposed around the Election Commission complex and BJP activists were stopped at the nearby All India Radio building and prevented from going towards the Commission.

Later, a delegation of six BJP leaders led by Naidu, met Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and demanded the immediate transfer of Varanasi's Returning Officer.

Naidu along with Naqvi, Prasad and Delhi leaders Vijay Malhotra, Harsh Vardhan and Meenakshi Lekhi, were part of the delegation.

"There is political bias and discrimination against the BJP on many occasions, including during the last polling, which has lowered the prestige of the Election Commission.

"This has resulted in tarnishing the image of the EC. By holding out this march for justice, the BJP has lodged its strong resentment and opposition to the EC not acting in transparent, impartial manner and as per the Constitution," the BJP memorandum to EC alleged.

They also demanded that the EC should immediately take serious note of the "biased" and "discriminatory" attitude of the Varanasi Returning Officer and remove him immediately.

After meeting the EC officials, Naidu told reporters that, "The BJP delegation demanded the EC immediately transfer electoral officer of Varansai, who is acting under political pressure. Until Varansai's electoral officer is transferred, fair election cannot be conducted there."

"Every person, who is contesting elections, has a right to hold a rally," he said.Naidu said BJP has not come here to protest against the EC, but against Varanasi's electoral officer.

"Varansai administration is working against the BJP.Our workers were recently put behind the bars for distributing electoral slips and released on bail for Rs 4 lakh, which is unjustified. The BJP delegation took up this matter with the Chief Election Commissioner," Naidu said.

He said the EC has assured the BJP delegation that it would look into the matter and take action against those found guilty.

"Everybody wants Modi to become the Prime Minister. They (Varanasi administration) are trying to prevent Modi from becoming PM, but they would not succeed. As we cannot stop the sunrise, Modi also cannot be prevented from becoming PM of this country," he also said.

Slamming the Congress vice-president, the former BJP president said, "Rahul Gandhi was seen roaming around an EVM and inspecting it at a polling booth in a picture published in a national daily. Rahul's attitude is very ridiculous but no action was taken against him."

Naidu said the delegation took up this matter with the Election Commission and "we hope that the EC would take appropriate action against Gandhi who has violated the Model Code of Conduct.

The BJP delegation also drew the notice of the Election Commission to the availability of spurious liquor, which resulted in death and ill-health of scores of people in Andra Pradesh.