Election Commission cites ‘security threat’ to defend denial of permission to Modi rally
BJP leaders are now planning to sit on a dharna outside the Benaras Hindu University
Varanasi: Top BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah are now planning to organise protests and sit on a dharna outside the Benaras Hindu University on Thursday.
While Varanasi boils, there is apprehension in Congress quarters that in Amethi, the victory margin of its vice-president Rahul Gandhi may get reduced by nearly 1.5 lakh or more.
Speculation is also rife that while Muslims had shifted to the AAP there, a large chunk of Yadavs had shifted towards the BJP in Amethi. The battle in Varanasi turned messy after the returning officer refusing permission for Mr Modi’s rally at Beniya Bagh. The reason for not allowing the rally there was that the venue was overcrowded and could be a “security threat” for Mr Modi.
Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley fired all guns and called the returning officer “pliant” and “partisan”. He demanded the immediate removal of the official. The EC, meanwhile, rejected the BJP’s charges, saying it did not accept insinuation of inaction or bias.