EC order on statues violation of law, reconsider it: BSP

Lucknow, Jan 12: A day after adhering to the deadline to cover all statues of Chief Minister Mayawati and her party poll symbol elephant in Uttar Pradesh, BSP today hit out at the Election Commission, claiming its order was in violation of the law and demanded it reconsider the decision.

Dubbing the Commission's decision as "unjustifed and one-sided", the BSP said it has demoralised the party and left Dalits and backwards "cheated". The ruling party also appeared to raise questions on EC's intentions to hold free and fair Assembly polls in UP starting next month.

The BSP's detailed response to the EC order was contained in a hard hitting letter which the party's national General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra wrote to Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi.
"The decision is violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which provides right of equality. Similar decisions should be taken against other parties also", he said.

"A number of BSP workers and supporters wanted to come out on roads to protest the EC decision but BSP supremo Mayawati has given them strict orders to them to maintain law and order so that election process did not get affected", he added.

BSP had expected that EC would hold free and fair elections but its decision had demoralised the party, Mishra said, adding that had the EC taken unbiased decision on the issue, BSP would have been given equal chance at the polls.

Mishra said that statues of Mayawati, who is "dalit ki beti" and a four-time CM of Uttar Pradesh and BSP symbol elephant did not affect voters in any way.

"The EC should re-consider its decision, which is one sided so that BSP candidates should get equal opportunities in the assembly polls", he said.

Mishra said, "even in Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block and South Block elephant statues are there on upper parts of the pillars and also above the Speakers' chair in Parliament".

He further said if the EC had an objection on "our elephant", it should also have an objection on SP symbol cycle, BJP's lotus and RLD's handpump.

PTI