A day after the Election Commission ordered a first information report against Arvind Kejriwal over his bribery remarks, the Aam Aadmi Party supremo on Monday demanded a similar action against Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Congress leader Amarinder Singh, even as he ridiculed the poll body saying it should ‘seek the nod’ of the Prime Minister’s Officer for the same.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi, laced with sarcasm, Kejriwal claimed that former Goa chief minister Parrikar had made similar comments in the poll bound state, urging the people to accept money from other political parties, but vote for ‘lotus’ (the Bharatiya Janata Party’s poll symbol).
Referring to media reports, the Delhi chief minister also alleged that Singh, the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate in Punjab, had also made a similar statement, imploring the voters to accept money, but vote for his party.
'If an FIR could be lodged over my comment, I hope the EC will also seek permission from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for action against these two leaders. I appeal to the EC to show the same enthusiasm and energy, which it has shown against me, and take action against these two leaders.
'The EC should take permission from the PMO at the earliest and register FIRs against the two,’ Kejriwal, who is currently campaigning in Punjab, wrote in the letter.
The AAP supremo added that the EC was ‘so quick’ to order an FIR against him that it even ignored the January 2016 orders of a Delhi court, wherein it had rejected the demand to file an FIR against him for similar comments.
Meanwhile, the AAP stepped up its attack on the EC and even demanded an apology from the poll watchdog.
'If EC has any shame left it should withdraw FIR and apologize to @ArvindKejriwal. Take people's help and escape from Modi's dictatorship (sic),’ AAP’s Punjab spokesperson Chander Suta Dogra tweeted. It was re-tweeted by Kejriwal.
On Sunday, Kejriwal’s media advisor Nagendar Sharma had also questioned the EC’s independence, targeting Election Commissioner A K Joti.
'Election Commissioner Joti never worked outside Gujarat in his entire career. 1975 batch IAS, Joti retired as chief secretary in Jan 2013. Is Election Commission impartial & independent? One of the commissioner was chief secretary of Gujarat before he retired in 2013?? (sic)
'Within 24 hours of PM Modi dictating criticism of EC is not acceptable, EC orders registration of FIR against @ArvindKejriwal coincidence? (sic)’ he had said in a series of tweets.
His tweets were also re-tweeted by Kejriwal.
The EC had on Sunday directed the poll authorities in Goa to lodge an FIR against Kejriwal for his bribery remarks allegedly made at an election rally in the state.
The EC had termed as ‘scurrilous’ the AAP supremo’s claim that it was encouraging bribery by restraining him from making such comments.
IMAGE: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal addresses a public rally at Naag Kalan village in Majitha constituency in Amritsar on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
