EC serves fresh notice to Manohar Parrikar on bribery remarks

New Delhi: Overruling claims of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that his election speech in Goa made in Konkani was incorrectly translated, the Election Commission today served him with a fresh notice on his reported bribery remarks and asked him to respond by Thursday.

In its latest notice to the senior BJP leader, the Commission said the "CD (of his speech made on January 29 in Chimbel) has not been tampered with in any manner whatsoever".

The Commission also said the entire speech has been again transcripted and translated by a three-member committee.

The fresh transcript quotes Parrikar as saying that "...you vote him by taking Rs 2000 from someone. It is okay, somebody will hold a rally, there is no objection, someone roams there with Rs 500. But vote shall be for lotus..."

A senior Commission official had on February 4 said following Parrikar's claim that the interpretation of his speech was not correct, the poll panel had asked the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa for his comments.

The EC had earlier sent a notice to the former Goa Chief Minister and had sought his reply by February 3. While seeking more time, the Defence Minister had said that what he had actually said was lost in translation.

Now, he has to send his final reply by 3 pm on February 9.