BJP to file petition before EC against Congress

New Delhi, June 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party will file a petition before the Election Commission against the Congress for putting 'undue pressure' on voters in the Presidential election. Briefing newspersons here, BJP Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, said the petition would be filed by a former MP and former convener of the party's legal cell Satpal Jain.

The petition would be filed in the light of the Congress' petition before the Rajya sabha secretariat seeking disqualification of former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh for proposing the name of Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat for Presidentship.

Ms Swaraj said the Congress had made a false claim that it had sought Mr Singh's disqualification earlier itself, but it was rejected on some technical grounds.

''I can tell you with authority that no such petition had been filed or been rejected. I have ascertained facts from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat,'' she said.

Claiming that the Congress had got trapped in its own web of lies, Ms Swaraj said if the party had submitted a petition earlier before the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, then it should have a mention in their current petition. No such petition has been submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat earlier and hence there was no question of rejection at all, she said.

The timing of the petition against Mr Natwar Singh is important as it was filed less than 24 hours after he signed the nomination papers of Mr Shekhawat. The Congress' petition assumes significance as the party had not taken any action against Mr Natwar Singh although he had campaigned against the party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, she added.

Asked about the statement of Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi seeking Mr Shekhwat's removal from office for contesting the Presidential elections, the NDA spokesperson said there were numerous occassions in the past when incumbent Vice-Presidents had contested Presidential polls without resigning from office.

''There is no need for Mr Shekhawat to give up his post for contesting election,'' Ms Swaraj said.

UNI

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