For ‘abetting bribery’, EC notice to Manohar Parrikar now

The Election Commission served a notice to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for a speech that the EC said amounts to abetting and promoting bribery. He has been asked to send an explanation by Friday. At a meeting in Chimbel on January 29, Parrikar is reported to have said: “If someone conducts a rally tomorrow and you take Rs 500-600 to go with him, there is nothing wrong in that. But make sure you vote only for the lotus,” Parrikar told voters in Chimbel. Two days earlier, the EC had ordered an FIR against AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal for similar remarks in Goa. The notice to Parrikar followed a complaint by the Goa Forward Party.