Madhya Pradesh elections: BJP seeks action against Kamal Nath for his "communal" appeal

New Delhi, Nov 21: Accusing Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath of seeking votes on religious grounds, the BJP on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to take action against him and his party.

The party also accused him of hatching a "criminal conspiracy against free and fair polls" in the state, as it in its complaint to the EC referred to a purported video in which Kamal Nath is allegedly asking a group of Muslims to ensure that the Congress gets 90 per cent of votes in their booths.

The Congress will suffer badly in the November 28 polls in the state if it does not happen, Kamal Nath, who has so far not responded to the charge, allegedly said. A BJP delegation, including Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and S S Ahluwalia besides Rajya Sabha member and party spokesperson Anil Baluni, submitted a memorandum to the commission in which the party also sought action against a news channel over "paid opinion polls". There has been no official response from the Congress.

"This is a case of Congress spicing up its secularism with communalism. It sports a 'tilak' on the road and wears a cap in private," Naqvi said, in an apparent dig at the opposition party over its Hindu outreach and Kamal Nath's alleged appeal to Muslims for their votes at a private meeting. It is a clear case of communal appeal for votes, he said.

The BJP urged the EC to take action against Kamal Nath and the Congress under the Representation of People Act, which bars seeking votes in the name of religion. The Congress leader had termed as fake another video in which he was purportedly seen urging Muslims to be wary of the RSS agenda.

The Congress is a "history-sheeter" in communal politics, Naqvi alleged. The BJP leader also claimed that an opinion poll broadcast by a news channel on November 18 violated the EC's guidelines that bar telecast of any opinion or exit poll until the last day of poling is over after the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect The survey had forecast a better show by the Congress than the BJP in the assembly polls and Naqvi alleged it was a case of "paid news". The BJP has also sought action against the Congress for allegedly offering allurements to voters in Madhya Pradesh.

PTI