News

How can EC allow Rahul rally in Varanasi?: Jaitley

by IBNS 09 May 2014, 10:58 pm

New Delhi/Varanasi, May 10 (IBNS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday slammed the Election Commission (EC) for allowing Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi hold a roadshow in Varanasi.

"How can the EC allow Rahul Gandhi to hold a roadshow in Varanasi while the same was denied to Narendra Modi (BJP's prime ministerial candidate)?" Jaitley asked.

"The roadshow is passing through the same area where we were denied permission. So it is clear that the EC ban was for political reasons and not security ones as was stated," he said.

Gandhi Saturday held a roadhsow to campaign for party candidate Ajay Rai in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul started his roadshow from Gol Gadda Chauraha that passed through Benia Bagh, where Modi was earlier denied permission to hold a rally.

Meanwhile, the EC on Friday stood by its statement that there was security reason behind the decision to cancel Modi's rallyin Varanasi.

"We had specific inputs that there was threat to Narendra Modi's rally," Election Commissioner HS Brahma said during an interaction with Indian Women Press Corps in New Delhi.

Brahma, however, said that poll officials at the ground level should take prompt decisions and convey it to the concerned political parties.