VARANASI, May 7:
BJP today got into a full-blown confrontation with the Election Commission after Narendra Modi was denied permission for holding a public meeting at a venue of its choice and announced protests while cancelling all his programmes here tomorrow.
The party demanded immediate removal of Varanasi Returning Officer and District Magistrate Pranjal Yadav who late in the night said he has given the nod to four of the five events for which BJP sought permission. The party, however, rejected the gesture saying it came too late in the day.
The BJP mounted a blistering attack on the Election Commission accusing it of being a “mute spectator” to the “highly partisan” role of the Returning Officer who cited an intelligence report of a possible communal tension for his action.
The Election Commission, however, rejected BJP’s charges saying it does not accept insinuation of inaction or bias and promised action against any officer acting partisan.
Jaitley, who has been camping here, will along with Amit Shah and other leaders stage a sit-in here tomorrow morning while protests will also be held outside the Election Commission in Delhi.
On a day Modi was denied permission, Congress sources said Rahul Gandhi will hold a roadshow here on May 10, returning the compliment to Modi for his rally in Amethi on Monday. An application has been filed with poll authorities.
Jaitley wrote three missives to the Election Commission questioning whether the EC was acquiescing to the conduct of the Returning Officer.
In his fourth letter, he announced the party’s intention to call off all Modi’s programmes in the temple city except a visit to the main office after his rally in Rohaniya on the outskirts.
“Under the circumstances, BJP would not be organising any of the three functions in Varanasi tomorrow.
“We will be holding a protest both in Varanasi and in front of your office at 11 am tomorrow. For that action, we do not require your permission.
“Narendra Modi when he arrives in Varanasi city, will be going to the election office and then to the airport. He will be in his unusual motorcade,” Jaitley said.
In his letter, Jaitley said that even if the permission is now granted at this late hour, there was no opportunity to advertise the rally.
“Under these circumstances, BJP would not be organising any of the three functions in Varanasi tomorrow,” he said.
A copy of the letter was sent to the Returning Officer also with “a request that he may not process any of the permissions” the BJP had sought.
The crowded Veeniya Bagh area, where BJP had sought permission, has a record of communal tension and law and order incidents were feared. BJP insisted on holding Modi’s rally only in this place and not anywhere else.
Demanding immediate removal of Varanasi Returning Officer Pranjal Yadav, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said he along with his party leaders including Amit Shah will hold a dharna outside Banaras Hindu University as well as outside the Election Commission in Delhi.
The local BJP MLA Shyam Devrai Choudhary has already started a dharna outside the office of district authorities.
At the party briefing in Delhi, BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said hurdles are being created to prevent Modi from putting across his point of view and campaigning in Varanasi and alleged a “political conspiracy” behind denial of permission over “laughable” excuses cited by poll officials.
Following the controversy, BJP said it has been forced to cancel his public rally and the Ganga Arti programme due to the “biased” behaviour of the district authorities.
Jaitley, who has been camping in the constituency of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, attacked the three-member Election Commission saying, “When weak people sit in high positions, democracy is under threat.”
As the battle between BJP and the Election Commission continued, Varanasi district authorities late in the night gave permission to four events of Modi but BJP rejected the gesture saying the clearance came too late.
Pranjal Yadav told the media late this evening that no permission was given to BJP’s rally at a crowed area in Veeniabagh ground in the central part of the city.
However, permission has been given for Modi attending the ‘Ganga Aarti’ in the evening at one of the ghats of Varanasi, Yadav said.
BJP had sought permission for five events, out of which nod was given for four, including a meeting with 150 citizens of the city at a hotel, which was earlier denied, Yadav said.
Modi will hold rally in Rohania area and a meeting will be held at one more place at Cutting Memorial ground in Minthouse area.
In a separate press conference also late in the evening, Amit Shah, BJP general secretary and Modi’s pointsman for UP, said his party rejected the Returning Officer’s gesture as the approval came too late, at around 10 pm.
“The approval has come 11 hours before the rally, which includes mostly the night time. If permission was to given, why this delay”? Shah said.
Modi’s programmes remain cancelled as the approvals have come too late, he added. (PTI)
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