New Delhi: The turf war between Congress-BSP
in the Gandhi Nehru family`s pocket borough of Raebareli and
Amethi intensified on Saturday with Congress approaching the
Election Commission seeking "debarring" of a senior BSP
minister and transfer of Rabebareli District Magistrate during
the current Assembly polls.
In a written complaint to the EC against Swami Prasad
Maurya and eight administrative officers including Raebareli
DM Amrita Soni, the party said they are "seeking to influence
voters in favour of non-Congress parties especially BSP and
SP" in assembly seats of Raebareli and Chhatrapati Sahuji
Maharaj (Amethi) districts.
The Congress also demanded that Maurya, who is BSP`s
election in-charge for these districts should be debarred from
visiting Raebareli and Amethi, alleging that "these illegal
acts and omissions and rank favouritism are happening under
the explicit and clear pressure of both Maurya and Raebareli
DM Amrita Soni".
After meeting the EC, party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi
said officers in Raebareli and Amethi districts have been
instructed by the state administration to act in a blatantly
biased manner and hence they are not granting timely
permissions for Congress` meetings particularly of Priyanka
Gandhi.
He said that permissions for Priyanka Gandhi`s meetings
were granted only one and one-and-a-half hour before.
"A large number of officers are openly threatening,
pressurizing and scaring Congress workers," the party said
citing various instances of alleged "obstruction" by these
administrative officials to Congress workers in Gauriganj,
Jagdishpur, Oonchahar.
Singhvi said,"it is clear that a non-level playing field
is sought to be created by the state administration and
especially the ruling party to irreversibly prejudice the
electoral interests of Congress. "If no transfer was done
immediately, there will be irreversible damage to the fair
election process."
The party also demanded that the Election Commission
should reschedule polls in Dudhi assembly seat, where the
nomination of Congress candidate Vijay Singh Gond was
rejected.
Singhvi said that Gond`s nomination was rejected wrongly
and the High Court had already stayed that decision. "We have
asked the EC to postpone Dudhi election to enable him to
participate in the election." Election for Dudhi in the
Sonebhadra district is scheduled on February 15
Congress has already approached the Election Commission
over the issue.
PTI
