Cong complains to EC against Assam CM, Nadda over camouflaged ads

New Delhi, March 28 (IANS) The Congress on Sunday submitted a complaint against the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda for violating model code of conduct.Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "We have Submitted a memorandum to ECI seeking directions, action and registration of FIR against Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP President JP Nadda, BJP Assam President Ranjeet Das and other BJP members for Inter Alia Violating Sec 126A of Representation of People Act."The Congress in its complaint said that the BJP has resorted to desperate illegal and unconstitutional methods to influence the voters across the state.The Congress alleged that in a "pre-planned conspiracy and in order to defraud the voters of Assam, Sonowal, Nadda, Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and other BJP members and functionaries "willfully and knowingly have today issued advertisements camouflaged as political predictions as headlines on front page, in various newspapers throughout Assam".Such ads, the BJP leaders have disseminated "false/untrue outcome of the results" of the first phase of voting in Assam and have "falsely claimed that BJP will win all constituencies of upper Assam", the Congress added.Surjewala said that the advertisements have been presented in a manner on the front page of every newspaper "to prejudice the minds of the voters of Assam"."The advertisements have been presented in a manner so as to look like a 'newspaper headline'. This deliberate, malicious and malafide set of advertisements are in clear violation of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which is punishable up to two years of imprisonment and fine," he said.
--IANS miz/rt