Uttarakhand BJP demands withdrawal of FIR over PM rally

Dehradun: The BJP's Uttarakhand unit on Thursday demanded withdrawal of an FIR which alleges that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pre-poll rally in Haridwar did not have the Election Commission's permission.

"All necessary permissions were taken from the administration well in advance to hold the rally, including clearance for the venue, the route and protocol. Still an FIR has been lodged against BJP office bearers and workers by the city magistrate cum assistant returning officer saying the PM's rally did not have the EC's permission," state BJP president Ajay Bhatt told reporters here.

The BJP accused Chief Minister Harish Rawat of pressurising officials to lodge false cases against BJP workers.

Alleging that Haridwar city magistrate Jaibharat Singh had lodged the FIR under pressure from the Chief Minister, Bhatt demanded that the FIR be immediately withdrawn and the official in question removed from his post as he was playing into the hands of the state government and acting in a partisan manner.

Bhatt said the FIR was lodged at the behest of Rawat as a case had been lodged against Rahul Gandhi and Rawat for holding a roadshow in Haridwar till midnight in violation of the model code of conduct on the basis of a complaint by the BJP.