Cong demands EC to debar Kejriwal from campaigning for 'communal' statement

The Congress lodged a complaint with the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Friday against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly making a "communal" statement and demanded that he be barred from campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

A delegation led by party leader Sandip Dikshit, son of Delhi Congress president and North East Delhi candidate Sheila Dikshit, met the CEO and submitted a memorandum against Kejriwal.

At a press conference on Thursday, the Delhi chief minister had said the Congress was not getting a single Hindu vote in the parliamentary polls while Muslims were a little confused.

"The Congress is trying to weaken the opposition in different states -- whether it is Kerala, Haryana, Goa, West Bengal or Uttar Pradesh. But I hope that people from all religions, who want to save the country, would unite and vote for the AAP," he had said.

The Congress delegation alleged that Kejriwal asked the "Muslim voters" not to vote for the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls as the party was not getting a "single Hindu vote".

Dikshit told reporters after meeting the CEO that the Congress had demanded that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief be barred from poll campaigning as he was "trying to stoke a communal divide" through his "irresponsible and inciting" utterances.

"Kejriwal's statement is highly communal and illegal in nature, and is intended to divide the Hindu and Muslim votes, and attract the voters along communal lines," the Congress's memorandum said.

Dikshit demanded "strong action" against the Delhi chief minister for his alleged "communal and provocative" statement.

"The Election Commission should take cognisance of Kejriwal's highly explosive statement and he should be banned from election campaigning," he said.

The delegation also included Delhi Congress leader Mangat Ram Singhal, spokespersons Ramakant Goswami and Jitendra Kochar, and Onika Mehrotra.