Modi wonders if elephants at R-Day parade a violation of code

New Delhi, Jan 17: Amid the raging debate in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh over draping of elephant statues - election symbol of BSP - Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wondered whether elephants during Republic Day parade were a violation of the model code of conduct.

"Centre makes bravery-award winning children sit on elephants during 26th Jan parade. Doesn't that violate model code of conduct?" he posted on micro-blogging site twitter today on the EC regarding the election symbol of Bahujan Samaj Party.

The Gujarat Chief Minister asked whether Congress will demand removing the elephants from the parade.

"Will Congress ask for elephants to be removed? What will happen to Live TV coverage? So ridiculous..." Incidentally, Mayawati, had campaigned for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the 2002 state polls after the post-Godhra riots.

Mayawati was supporting NDA at that time. At the AICC briefing spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi frowned upon making a mockery of the EC directive and maintained that the issue involved was one of government use of funds in building the statues. He recalled that the poll panel had issued a similar directive during the NDA rule as regards the photos of the then Prime Minister.

On Gujarat High Court rejecting petitions seeking contempt proceedings against Modi for making public his letter to the Prime Minister seeking recall of state Governor on the issue of appointment of Lokayukta, Singhvi said there was no legal merit in the case and it was rightly dismissed. "They were ill-conceived move which ought not to have initiated," he said.

With less than a month to go before assembly elections in UP, the Election Commission has decided that Chief Minister Malawi's statues and BSP's party symbol had to be covered as they were in violation of the model code of conduct.

PTI