If riot relief story not true, why no denial: EC to govt

“But the Commission observed that the above news was widely published and disseminated not only in the print media but also on the electronic media and several panel discussions on various TV channels were also arranged,” the EC has written to the MHA on Friday.

“The Commission has also not come across any denial of the above news by the Government in the electronic media, etc,” the EC has said adding that “it cannot be denied” that news relating to this matter “gave an unmistakable impression to the electorate that a decision to the above effect was in fact taken by the Government”.

This “had the likelihood to effect of disturbing the level playing field when the Model code of conduct was in force in Delhi in the context of the then ongoing bye-elections to the Delhi Legislative Assembly… which ought to have been avoided,” the EC has held. “The commission would like to be assured that such instances do not recur in future,” it has now told the MHA.

While MHA functionaries remain tight-lipped, officials, speaking to The Indian Express, did not deny the possibility that the move was aimed at the by-elections, which have now been cancelled due to dissolution of the Assembly.

On October 30, top ministry officials had confirmed about Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s decision to give an “in principle” nod to the proposal to increase the compensation package. Officials said since the by-elections had been announced, there was no official announcement.

Since Singh was on a foreign tour to Monaco and Israel, it was not clear whether the ministry officials kept him in the loop before filing a reply to the EC that “no such decision had been taken”.

The Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, slammed the government, asking them to apologise to the families of 1984 riot victims after the MHA told the EC that the decision regarding fresh compensation had not been taken so far. It said in a statement, “If the BJP is serious about governance, the central government must immediately apologise to the families of the riots victims for having raised false hopes merely for electoral gains, as has been pointed out by none other than the EC.”