Add expenses of anti-CAA protests to AAP candidates' expenditure accounts: BJP writes to EC

BJP has approached the Election Commission and demanded that expenditure incurred on Shaheen Bagh and other such protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) must be added to the expenditure accounts of the Aam Aadmi Party candidates since these are turning out to be "proxy" election campaigns in the "guise" of agitation.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and other Election Commissioners, BJP Delhi until stated that the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party are doing election campaign in the guise of protests against the CAA in various places throughout the territory of NCT of Delhi.

"That various protests throughout the NCT of Delhi, in the form of Dharnas have been staged by persons acting in concert and on behalf of the AAP, for the purpose of electoral gains. In the process the whole of the environment of Delhi has been poisoned by several such motivated protests seeking to benefit the AAP, by acting its proxy," the letter said.

"Expenditure incurred on Shaheen Bagh and other such protests against the CAA, 2019 must be added to the expenditure accounts of the respective Aam Aadmi Party candidates since these are turning out to be proxy election campaigns in the guise of protests," it said.

The BJP said that the AAP leaders are "openly supporting" as well as "encouraging" such protests.

"AAP, being a political party has put up candidates in all Assembly constituencies of Delhi and any attempt to indulge in the proxy campaign for the political party has to be seen in that light and any expenditure on such campaign accounted accordingly to the account of a candidate for whose benefit the proxy campaign was done."

The party stated that AAP is violating the model code of conduct, provisions of rules relating to election expenditure.

The BJP also demanded that an independent Election Expenditure Observer should be appointed to enquire and verify the facts on grounds so that appropriate action can be taken against the culprit.

It also sought the appointment of an independent observer to keep an eye on protests throughout of NCT of Delhi.

BJP also requested the Election Commission to call for the expenditure records of AAP to reveal the real intention behind these protests and issue a show-cause notice to AAP seeking their explanation as to why stringent action should not be taken against their leaders and candidates.