Gujarat polls: Congress tears into EC for adopting 'double standard'

Trivandrum (Kerala) [India], Dec.14 (ANI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday lashed out at the Election Commission for adopting a double standard after the poll body did not bar Prime Minister Narendra Modi's road show, but sent a notice to Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi for an interview.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said that the EC issued a notice to Rahul for violating the model code of conduct for giving an interview to a local news channels in poll-bound Gujarat while on the other hand it did not bar the Prime Minister's roadshow on the final phase of Gujarat assembly elections.

"I am concerned about double standard shown by the Election Commission today. When you see Mr Modi, while voting is still going on, conducting a road show in Gujarat, just the very day after the Election Commission issued a notice to television channels and Rahul Gandhi for an innocent Press Conference which everybody else is doing," he said.

He further said that the poll body has lost all objectivity and impartiality by overlooking a blatant violation of the election code of conduct by the other side.

"The notice was wrong in the first place but to issue the notice against one side and completely condone a blatant violation of the election code of conduct by the other side is lack of impartiality. We took the stand that the notice was absolutely unjustified and that Rahul was perfectly justified in speaking. This is almost the most astonishing thing that we have seen from the EC in recent memory. So we are protesting very strongly," he added.

The Election Commission on Wednesday issued a notice to Rahul for violating Section 126 (1) (b) of R P Act by giving an interview to a local Guajarati news channels in poll-bound Gujarat.

The poll body, however, did not restrict Prime Minister Modi's roadshow in the poll-bound state which fumed the Congress party. (ANI)