Bhopal: Accusing Kamal Nath of inviting a former BSP MLA and his 70 supporters to the state secretariat to extend Congress membership, the BJP on Friday lodged a complaint with Election Commission and urged the body to take action against the Madhya Pradesh chief minister.
In a complaint submitted to chief electoral officer VL Kantha Rao, the BJP said Nath has breached the Election Commission’s (EC) model code of conduct.
BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and other party leaders claimed that Nath had invited former BSP MLA Balbeer Singh Dandotia and 70 of his supporters to state secretariat for extending Congress membership.
It was a clear breach of model code of conduct and amounted to corrupt practice, according to the complaint.
The BJP leaders submitted pictures of the alleged event and footage of media interview of Dandotia to the EC as evidence. According to them, in the interview, Dandotia reposed faith in the Congress ideology.
As a member of the Brahmin community and former office bearer of a Brahmin organisation, Dandotia said he would canvass for votes for Congress from the community, while hitting out at the BJP, the party said.
The opposition party claimed that it was evident that the CM was using his designation and power to seek electoral benefits.
In its complaint, the party said the ruling party should ensure its powers and official premises should not be used for electoral gains.
“Kamal Nath has breached the section 123 (3) of Public Representatives Act,” the BJP claimed in the letter.
It also demanded scrutiny of visitors’ register of the Mantralaya (Secretariat) since March 10 to ascertain who all were allowed entry into the premises on the orders of Nath.
The chief minister also turned the Mantralaya into Congress office by holding party meetings after March 10, when the election dates were announced, the letter said.
The BJP has sought a ban on Nath, Dandotia and his supporters for holding any election meeting in Madhya Pradesh.
They have also asked to file an FIR against those mentioned in the complaint for a breach of poll code and demanded stringent legal action for the violation.
Meanwhile, the Congress also lodged a complaint with the EC, urging it to act against the BJP leaders for their inflammatory remarks at a time when the model code of conduct was imposed.
The Congress was referring to former CM Shivraj Sing Chouhan’s statement in which he claimed that ‘hungry Congressmen’ are going all out after returning to power after 15 years.
The Congress also hit out at the leader of opposition Gopal Bhargav for calling the Mantrala officers as snakes. The party said this was a gross disrespect to government staffers.
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