Congress complains to EC about PM Modi's Haryana land deal remark

They alleged that the PM openly flouted the Model Code of Conduct with his remarks

Congress has approached the Election Commission seeking 'exemplary punishment' for Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on a land deal involving Robert Vadra and DLF in Haryana.

In a petition to Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath, the party alleged that the Prime Minister 'openly' flouted the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) 'deliberately maligning, defaming' Haryana government and made 'malicious and scandalous personal attacks' on central leadership of the Congress in October 6 rally at Hisar.

Congress yesterday demanded an 'apology' from Modi after the EC on Wednesday ruled that there was no violation of model code of conduct by the Haryana Government in clearing the land deal involving Sonia Gandhi's son-in law Vadra.

Addressing a public rally on Monday, Modi had asked EC to take serious note of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda clearing the land deal between Vadra and DLF alleging it was done hastily as ruling Congress faced 'certain defeat' in the October 15 state Assembly polls.

Secretary of AICC Legal Department KC Mittal said that as per the code, parties and candidates need to refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties or have to avoid criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion.

He claimed that the statement made by Modi is a 'only a distortion to malign the government and Congress party publicly to prejudice the interest of Congress candidates and seek votes for BJP candidates' and constitutes a case for violation of model code.

Maintaining that such criticism based on 'unverified allegations' is not permissible under the MCC, the party said in the complaint that the statement 'is not only derogatory, malicious and scandalous on the face of it, but, such a conduct in public discourse needs to be penalised adequately for the purity of electoral process and fair conduct of polls'.

The party alleged the modus operandi was to mislead people Modi took all liberties during the public address to focus on personal attack to defame the Congress party.

"It is therefore requested that the Commission may be pleased to impose exemplary punishment to BJP and Modi and also to ensure that in future they don't conduct themselves to violate the MCC," Mittal said in the complaint.