'We have no confrontation with Election Commission'

New Delhi, Apr 10: The Bharatiya Janata Party today said it had no confrontation with the Election Commission even as the EC has asked the party to file its reply by tomorrow in the CD controversy on which several political parties had approached it for ''derecognition'' of BJP.

''We have no confrontation with the Election Commission and will file our reply at 1100 hrs tomorrow orally and in writing,'' BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons in reply to a querry whether the party had confidence in the EC.

''Yes, we have full confidence in the Election Commission and in fact would like to congratulate it for holding free and fair poll during the first phase of election in Uttar Pradesh,'' he added.

When reminded the party had expressed reservation on Election Commissioner Navin Chawla being on the panel hearing the arguments of various parties on CD controversy, the BJP leader declined to make any comment.

Briefing newspersons, Mr Naqvi however came down heavily on the Congress, Samajwadi party, BSP and Left Front, describing these parties as the pseudo secular quartet seeking ban and derecognition of BJP.

This 'quartet' was making this demand out of frustration following significant victories of BJP in Punjab, Uttrakhand, and Delhi, he said.

He said while the party was focusing on issues like terrorism, corruption, price rise and appeasement, ''this seudo-secular brigade'' was focusing only on stopping BJP, he said ridiculing the ''quartet.'' The BJP is firmly committed to all nationalist issues that affect the common man and the people have also accepted this.

These parties were merely trying to divert the people's attention from the ''real issues'' by raking up issues like Babri Masjid, Madarasas and Urdu teachers, while BSP was trying to project itself as the ''sole benefactor'' of the Muslims.

''We will like to tell these parties the BJP will again go to polls in Uttar Pradesh on removal of mis-governance, terrorism, corruption, price rise and appeasement,'' he chided, asserting the party would launch a door-to-door campaign to expose the nefarious design of the ''pseudo secular quartet'' during the next phase of election in UP.

UNI

Related Stories