BJP complaint against Kamalnath

Bhopal, Nov 21 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has apprehended that the opposition Congress would resort to irregularities in the assembly election as Union Minister for Commerce Kamalnath had issued a statement saying the Congress would ''win the election at any cost''.

''The BJP was considering to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission with regard to the Union Minister's statement, which smacked of a conspiracy to commit irregularities during the polls'', Mr Chouhan told a news conference here today.

''A senior minister like Mr Nath's statement could not be ignored and the BJP had taken a serious note of it, Mr Chouhan said, The government had no information yet whether the Congress would engineer riots or resort to rigging, he said in reply to a supplementary.

Pointing out that Mr Kamalnath had also made some poll assurances in addition to the party manifesto issued by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and MPCC chief Suresh Pachouri in the state capital on November 19, Mr Chouhan said the Congress should clarify which of its manifestoes is official.

Seeking clarification on Mr Nath's statement that the Congress would win the poll at any cost (''Har Halat Mein Congress Jitenge''), the chief minister said it was unclear yet as to whether the Congress would use 'money and muscle power''. ''It smacked of a conspiracy and the people would give a befitting reply, he added.

UNI SP-BDG 1116