FIR against Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for defying poll code

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Three weeks ago, incidentally, Gogoi had complained to the EC that some officials had started acting in a biased manner since the election had been announced. He had complained in particular against Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner M Angamuthu alleging that the latter had illegally removed many Congress posters and hoardings in Guwahati.

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About Monday’s press conference, state additional CEO Nitin Kumar Shivdas Khade said, “We received a complaint from the state BJP that Congress leader Tarun Gogoi had called a press conference at 10 am in a city hotel. We immediately asked the district election officer to stop the press conference because it would amount to violation of the model code of conduct as polling had already started. But when he went ahead with the press conference despite clear direction not to do so, we requested the media not to air or telecast it till polling was over.”

At the press conference, Gogoi attacked both the BJP and the “partisan” role of the election authorities. Later, PTI quoted him as saying that he had not violated the model code and of accusing the poll panel of not taking action against “blatant violations” by BJP leaders.

“I know what to say and what not to say in a press meet,” he told PTI. “I am not asking anyone to vote for the Congress. I am a law-abiding citizen and also a lawyer. I have not violated any model code of conduct.”

Gogoi said many BJP leaders are “openly” violating the code. “They are playing a partisan role. Himanta (Biswa Sarma) took out a bike rally yesterday in his constituency Jalukbari after ending the campaign on Saturday evening. This is a blatant violation of the model code, but nobody is taking note of this,” he added. He also accused the state election office of a “biased role” in confining Congress candidate Gautam Bora of Batadroba to his house.

Assam CEO Vijayendra said the election office has sought a report from the Jalukbari local authority and “this too will be forwarded to ECI for further action”.

The BJP said Gogoi’s defiance reflected the Congress’s desperation and how a party in power for 15 years was out to defy the Election Commission. “By defying election officials, Gogoi had also defied the Constitution. It was bad,” BJP chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal said at a press conference, after polling was over.

Gogoi has been holding a press conference almost every day over the past two weeks. On occasions he even called two press conferences the same day.

With PTI