SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav also warned for his remarks at an election rally.
The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday issued notices to Home Minister P Chidambaram and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh for their alleged violation of the model code of conduct. Further, the poll panel disapproved of remarks made by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav against a district magistrate during a recent election rally in Uttar Pradesh.
The EC’s action follows complaints filed by the BJP and Congress against Chidambaram and Singh, respectively. While Chidambaram is in trouble for allegedly offering election sops at a security review meeting in Rajasthan, Singh has come under the EC’s scanner for allegedly distributing money during a election rally meeting in Barmer, Rajasthan.
Earlier, the BJP had complained to the EC that during an official visit to Rajasthan in late March, Chidambaram took up electoral issues such as citizenship for displaced Hindus from Pakistan and facilities for Thar Express passengers. On the other hand, the Rajasthan unit of the Congress had complained that Singh and Kailash Meghwal, the BJP MP from Tonk, violated the model code after TV channels showed the duo giving Rs 10,000 to a woman and distributing food packets during an election meeting in Gagaria village in Barmer. Chidambaram has to reply to the EC by 5 pm on Monday and Singh by 5 pm on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, with regard to Mulayam Singh Yadav’s remarks against a bureaucrat, the EC noted that the former UP chief minister’s reply was unsatisfactory. However, he has escaped stringent punishment, with the EC counseling him to be “more cautious” and exercise “restraint” in the future.
Mulayam was slapped with a notice for his remarks against a district magistrate who had cancelled certain arms licences in Mainpuri, from where Yadav is contesting the Lok Sabha polls. During a poll meeting, Yadav said he would complain to the EC against the magistrate and accused the bureaucrat of not being able to differentiate between a criminal and a common man. He also suggested that she get her “head checked” and mend her ways.
