YSRCP lodges complaint with ECI against poll strategist Prashant Kishore, RTV Ravi Prakash
Andhra Pradesh: The YSRCP lodge a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against election strategist Prashant Kishore, Ravi Prakash of RTV, and Rayudu Vision Media Limited for violating Representation of Peoples Act (RP) and other provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for telecasting opinion polls during an interview on May 12.
In its complaint, the YSRCP said around 12 pm onwards on May 12, RTV has started streaming an interview with Prashant Kishore who was founder of Indian Political Action Committee popularly known as I-PAC discussing political results in Andhra Pradesh.
The interview between the anchor Ravi Prakash and Prashant Kishore was ostensibly in the nature of genuine news item but was for the sole purpose of influencing voters at the crucial time of the ensuing elections as the polling date is approaching.
Further, the telecast was in blatant violation of Section 126 of the RP Act wherein there is an express prohibition on display of election matters to the public. The same was evident from the deliberate statements made in the course of the interview which were intended to influence and affect the election by virtue of the publication.
RTV, Ravi Prakash and Prashanth Kishore with a malafide intention and ulterior ill-motives have made bald and spread baseless statements in the form of the interview against YSRCP leaders which were condemnable. In the interview, Prashanth Kishore has intentionally shared the opinion about the results in AP elections and expressed anguish, and wrath on YSRCP in the manner as if his views were in favour of the main opposition party - the TDP.
In fact, Prashanth Kishore expressing his opinion on the election one day before polling was nothing but a part of the criminal conspiracy, strategy or connivance of TDP and its supreme Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Ravi Prakash and their associates.
The interview was telecasted in violation and contravention of the RP Act- 1951 and the Model Code of Conduct and election laws. The YSRCP urged the ECI to take appropriate legal action against violators and perpetrators otherwise spirit of democracy would be at peril. The interviewer designed the questions in the manner to stage opinions of Prashanth Kishore being specifically against YSRC.
Ravi Prakash has instigated interviewee into making various statements including that YSRCP government done numerous mistakes and the welfare schemes would not be enough and that the governance in the State has failed. All of these would contribute to the loss of the YSRCP government.
The interview was not an opinion but the interviewee was trying to portray that the people have decided to vote against it in order to influence the voters to not vote in favour of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSRCP, the complaint added.