EC notice to minister for violation of conduct code

The Election Commission has issued notice to Minister of State for Railways Naranbhai Rathwa for violation...

The Election Commission has issued notice to Minister of State for Railways Naranbhai Rathwa for violation of the model code of conduct during his tour of Vadodara on October 20.

The charges against Rathwa are that he moved in a private hired vehicle fitted with a red beacon light, used a private vehicle provided and hired by Railway authorities along with an RPF escort provided by the Railways. The EC has asked him to explain why action should not be initiated against him for the above lapses and send the reply by November 5.

In another move, the EC has decided to censure General Secretary of the Indian National Congress B K Hariprasad and Gujarat BJP President Purushottam Rupala for not sending satisfactory replies to the EC’s notice on code violation.

Prasad was issued a notice for his derogatory remarks on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting held by the Congress on October 18 in Valsad district. Rupala was issued a notice for derogatory remarks made by him on the ancestry of the Nehru-Gandhi family at a public meeting organised under the banner of Nagrik Abhivadan Samiti at Surat on October 21.