Sibal asks EC to debar BJP office-bearers from contesting poll

Lucknow, Apr 6 (UNI) Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal today said the Election Commission (EC) should debar office-bearers of Bharatiya Janata Party who were involved in the controversial CD issue from contesting the assembly elections beginning tomorrow.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Sibal said BJP stood exposed before the electorate. ''They wanted to create communal and social divide by distributing the CDs...the EC should debar all the office-bearers involved from contesting elections till a final decision is taken,'' he added.

The Congress leader claimed that by denying their role in the production and distribution of the CD, BJP leaders could not wash their hands from the crime. ''Now the only option left for them is to distance from the controversy.'' He said as per the provisions of the Election Commission guidelines, BJP could be derecognised as a political party.

Police said here that the FIR has been lodged against BJP national president Rajnath Singh, leader of the Opposition in UP assembly Lalji Tandon ''all those involved in distributing and displaying the CD'' which pertains to Godhra riots, Babri demolition and cow slaughter.

The FIR has been lodged under sections 153 A and B, 505 A, B, and C of the IPC and section 123 and 125 the Representation of People's Act.

The FIR was lodged soon after the BJP submitted its reply to the Election Commision this afternoon on the CD case. It was lodged by state chief electoral officer (CEO) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi.

In New Delhi, BJP asserted that it had not ''produced, prepared, displayed or distributed the impugned CD'' and urged the EC to withdraw its notice as the controversial CD never formed a part of official campaign material of the party.

In its reply to the Election Commission's notice to the party regarding the controversial CD containing ''objectionable'' remarks against Muslims and visuals of Godhra arson and the Babri masjid demolition, BJP National Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said ''the CD was not seen or approved by the BJP leadership.'' UNI