Narendra Modi hits out at Election Commission for ‘bias’

Kolkata: BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Election Commission of failure to check rigging and violence in the state and dared it to take action against him.

“You have failed to stop rigging and violence in the state during the Lok Sabha elections, while false cases were filed against our candidate Babul Supriyo. It is your responsibility to protect people but why are you not carrying out your duty? I request you to carry out your responsibilities in the right way so that free and fair polls can be held,” Mr Modi said, addressing a mammoth election rally at Asansol.

Claiming that rigging and violence took place in the states of UP, Bihar and West Bengal, Mr Modi asked the Election Commission to keep a watchful eye on these states, which will go to the polls in the last two phases.

He said that the poll watchdog has all the government machinery at its disposal and has more powers than even the Prime Minister. "Democracy doesn't work like this, I know that in the elections on 30th, how much rigging took place. Will this game go on?" he asked.

Going a step ahead, he even challenged the Election Commission to file a case against him if it disapproves of what he said. “If my statement angers you, then you are free to file another case against me. I’ll ask the Election Commission officials to take the video footage of my speech and send it to the commission,” he said.

Read: Will never forget April 30, my first FIR: Narendra Modi

Modi recalled that he had said in Uttar Pradesh that in some areas problems are going to happen.

"But Election Commission could do nothing. Today I am saying it again that in Bengal, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh the same thing is going to happen. Is it not the responsiblity of the Election Commission that elections should be peaceful, there should be no rigging, no violence?" he said.

Election Commission had taken serious note of the Gujarat chief minister's violation of the electoral laws, under which no person can display any election matter or address a meeting in a polling booth on the day of election, and an FIR against Modi following its direction.

Modi had told a poll campaign at Tirupati that he had not committed any offence that warranted an FIR and that he only showed a lotus badge to people after casting his vote at Gandhinagar on April 30. Lotus is the symbol of BJP.