EC has adopted double standards: Jaitley

Ahmedabad, Dec 7 (UNI) The BJP today accused the Election Commission of adopting double standards while taking action under the model code of conduct.

Talking to mediapersons, BJP senior leader Arun Jaitely said while the Commission issued notice to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, it has not acted on the BJP's complaint against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh although the complaint was lodged as early as on December 2.

''The Commission is an independent Constitutional authority and, as per the rules, all complaints under the code of conduct should be taken up within a day,'' Mr Jaitley said. However, the Commission has not taken cognisance of the BJP's complaint till now, which is indicative of the Commission's different standards, Mr Jaitley said.

The Election Commission guidelines issued on October 7, clearly state that the Chief Election Officer will send the information in proforma to the Commission daily and identify a nodal office in his office to coordinate the work. According to the guidelines, ''Transparency shall be maintained in dealing with the complaints at every level'', Mr Jaitley said.

''Both, the BJP and the nation, are entitled to know the reasons for inaction on complaints against Ms Gandhi and Mr Singh.

Surely no reasonable person will accept that the use of phrases such as 'Maut Ke Saudagar' and 'Hindu Terrorism' do not amount to violation of the code of conduct,'' Mr Jaitley said.

He said the complaint against Ms Gandhi can neither be suppressed nor censored and even she is as answerable to the law as much as every citizen of India.

UNI