Vadra deal: Cong goes to poll panel against PM

Modi had at an election rally in Hisar alleged that the Bhupinder government took the decision to legitimise the deal under pressure from the Congress leadership.

Days after the Election Commission ruled that the Haryana government had not violated the model code of conduct while clearing a land deal between Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and real estate firm DLF, the Congress on Friday approached the poll panel seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he had sought to malign the party and its government in Haryana by raking up the issue.

Modi had at an election rally in Hisar last week alleged that the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government took the decision to legitimise the deal under pressure from the Congress leadership. “They know that after the elections, the son-in-law (Vadra) will not get any clearances for illegal deals. So, in between the election process, they have dared to take such a decision,” Modi had said.

The complaint by AICC legal department secretary K C Mittal said Modi violated the provisions of the model code of conduct in letter and spirit, by “deliberately maligning and defaming the Congress Government in Haryana and by making malicious and scandalous personal attacks on the central leadership of the Congress Party”.

The Congress said the poll code among other things stipulates that criticism of other political parties shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Besides, there is a bar on parties and candidates from criticising all aspects of private life.
Arguing that the EC has already held that the Haryana government had not violated the poll code, the Congress said “the statement by him (Modi) is only a distortion to malign the government and Congress Party publicly to prejudice the interest of Congress candidates and seek votes for BJP candidates”.

“Such distortions and criticism based on unverified allegations is not permissible under the MCC. As a matter of fact the statement made by Modi is not only derogatory, malicious and scandalous on the face of it, but, such a conduct in public discourse needs to be penalized adequately for the purity of electoral process and fair conduct of polls which is the cardinal rule of Democracy,” it said, and demanded “exemplary punishment” against the BJP and Modi.