Jharkhand polls: Congress moves EC over BJP's 'false allegations'

NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday filed a complaint with the Election Commission against BJP’s official Facebook page handle for Jharkhand for publishing an advertisement that allegedly ascribed false allegations and statements to leaders of JMM, Congress and RJD. The opposition party has called it a “blatant violation” of the Model Code of Conduct and election-related laws.

Congress urged the EC to issue directions for “immediate takedown of the all videos” and sought that urgent action be taken against BJP and its official Facebook handle for Jharkhand.

Congress’s Jairam Ramesh alleged that in an advertisement published on Nov 9 the BJP had first tried to use actors who resemble the netas of JMM, INC and RJD and then allegedly raise “several blatantly false allegations” against them.

“One of the allegations is that these leaders are ‘anti-Adivasi’ who are banding together under the garb of being pro-Adivasi to ultimately serve their own personal agendas,” Congress complained.

“Given that state assembly polls are presently underway in Jharkhand, it is submitted that BJP is required to have its advertisement approved by the EC in accordance with electoral norms of conduct,” Congress said, adding “there is no plausible scenario in which such an ex facie and total violation of electoral norms is allowed to be published by the EC.”