Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley on Thursday continued his tirade against the Election Commission for denying Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi permission to hold a rally in Varanasi.
The district administration had initially denied permission for all programmes, including a rally at Beniabagh. In a decision late Wednesday, it allowed Modi to hold some of the programmes.
Expressing his displeasure over poll panel`s decision, Jaitley said, “Men in constitutional offices need to be bolder. Timid men can dwarf high offices.”
The BJP leader today wrote a blog. Here`s what the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said:
I cannot conceal my disappointment with the Election Commission. Men in constitutional offices need to be bolder. Timid men can dwarf high offices.
The Election Commission scrutinizes us all the time. They are extremely vigilant in tackling the side shows in the elections. They are concerned with what adjectives are used by whom. But when it comes to preventing booth capturing which has reappeared after a decade in elections 2014 they are out of their depth.
By condoning the Returning Officer’s stand on ‘No-Modi rally’ in Varanasi city the Election Commission has used the security card to prevent Narendra Modi’s right to campaign in his constituency. If you can’t ensure security, don’t hold the polls in the country. But if you do hold the polls please provide a level playing field. You cannot deny the candidate the right to campaign. Rahul Gandhi can have a road show in Varanasi but Narendra Modi cannot have a rally. The security card is selectively used.
THE FALSEHOOD OF THE RETURNING OFFICER
My advice to the Election Commission is – dont look helpless. Don’t merely rely on the Returning Officer and officials of the Uttar Pradesh Government. They are a nominees of the people who want to prevent Modi. There is more to a campaign than a prayer and meeting 150 people.