Election 'Commission': With two-word tweet, Rahul Gandhi slams poll body

New Delhi, Apr 03: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack at the election commision amid a huge row over a polling team in Assam carrying an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate's vehicle.

Election 'Commission', Rahul convayed the message in a two-word tweet, alleging the poll body's involvement in the Assam EVM controversy.

The Congress also hit out at the Election Commission for reducing the campaign ban on Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and said it is a dark day for parliamentary democracy and history will not pardon the poll panel.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it was deplorable that the EC could not sustain its own order and accused the poll body of buckling under pressure of the Modi government in reducing the ban on Sarma from 48 hours to 24 hours.

The Election Commission had Friday banned Sarma from all modes of campaigning for 48 hours for allegedly making threatening remarks against Bodoland People''s Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mohilary.

However, the poll panel this evening reduced the ban to 24 hours after the minister tendered an "unconditional apology" and assured the poll panel that he will abide by the provisions of the model code.

"A dark day for Parliamentary democracy. ECI doesn''t even have the guts to sustain its own order. Deplorable that EC buckles under Modi Government''s pressure and reverses its own order of ban on Sh. Himanta Biswa Sarma. History will neither pardon ECI nor BJP for this sin," Surjewala said on Twitter.

Questioning the EC, he asked why did it make this change of heart and without seeking the comments of the complainant.

The Congress had complained to the EC against Sarma and demanded action against him for allegedly giving threats to Mohilary.