Zee Media Bureau
Lucknow: Aam Aadmi Party`s candidate from Amethi, Kumar Vishwas and party leader Somnath Bharti has stoked a fresh controversy by involving into a verbal clash with the local police here, accusing them of targeting only their party while ignoring Congress and the BJP.
Campaigning for Kumar Vishwas, who is fighting his maiden Lok sabha polls from this high-profile constituency, Bharti was among many other AAP leaders who had landed up in the Gandhi`s bastion to galvanize the voters mind.
As per reports, Bharti had a verbal clash with the police yesterday night when cops allegedly arrived at Vishwas` place and asked his supporters to leave Amethi.
Following the incident the local police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Kumar Vishwas, Somnath Bharti and approximately 40 other AAP members under the Representation of People`s Act in Amethi for violation of model code of conduct.
An FIR was today registered against AAP`s Amethi candidate Kumar Vishwas, his party associate Somnath Bharti and two others for violating prohibitory orders, police said, PTI reported.
Reports also claim that the district administration has booked Bharati for overstaying in the poll bound constituency. Amethi is scheduled to go on polls tomorrow.
Though the deadline for campaigning ended in the constituency yesterday at 6 pm, they allegedly continued to stay here which is a violation of rules, the FIR alleged.
Soon after the FIR was lodged, Bharti said, "Fair elections can`t take place here (Amethi) unless Central forces are deployed here & poll booths are videographed."
Amethi, a traditional stronghold of the Gandhi family from where Rahul Gandhi is the incumbent MP, is witnessing a three-way contest between the Congress vice president, BJP`s Smriti Irani and Aam Aadmi Party`s Kumar Vishwas.
In an another claim, the AAP has alleged that the Amethi district administration late Monday night asked the family of Kumar Vishwas to leave the district or else they will be arrested.
According to reports, district police officials yesterday night reached the rented accommodation of the AAP leader and cited Election Commission rules to ask Kumar Vishwas`s wife, children and other family members to leave Amethi by 11 pm yesterday, after the time of campaigning ended, as they were not "registered voters" in the constituency.
An official told a news agency that this was in line with norms which mandates all non-registered voters, campaigners and supporters of a candidate to leave the constituency after the campaigning has come to an end and ahead of balloting.
Voicing his dissent, Kumar Vishwas today said that he challenged the district police officials to tell Congress campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Vadra the same if the Uttar Pradesh government has the courage.
The 39-year-old former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti had triggered a huge controversy in January after he led a mob in south Delhi which allegedly harassed and illegally detained a group of African women on suspicion they were part of a prostitution and drugs racket.
