Maharashtra Election 2024: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation, comprising Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, party leaders Arun Singh, Shehzad Poonawalla, and Om Pathak, visited the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi on Thursday. The visit was in connection with Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's remarks made at a recent election rally in Mumbai.
Addressing the media outside the ECI office, Arjun Ram Meghwal stated, “Today, we visited the ECI’s office. We told ECI that on 6th November, LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tried to lie once again for the Maharashtra Election, he attempted to pit states against each other, he waved the Constitution and lied again that the BJP is about to destroy the Constitution. This is false. We said that this should be stopped.
The BJP delegation demanded an FIR against the Congress leader as Meghwal added, “We also told the Commission that Rahul Gandhi is habitual in doing this and is not deterring from this despite warnings and notices...This doesn’t come under the definition of a fair election. We said that an FIR be lodged against Rahul Gandhi under sec 353 of BNS...”
Shehzad Poonawalla, a BJP spokesperson, said, “Today, a delegation led by Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, BJP MP Arun Singh and other leaders reached the Election Commission as Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi is disrespecting the Constitution, questioning constitutional institutions and violating constitutional norms. He made such statements that the Constitution was in danger. Despite being warned by the Election Commission, he is making false statements that create confusion among the people... Now we have demanded from the Election Commission that a case should be registered and strict action should be taken against him.”
Maharashtra Election 2024: Rahul Gandhi Alleges Projects 'Snatched' From Maharashtra To Give To Gujarat
The BJP’s complaint referred to a speech Rahul Gandhi made on 6 November during an election rally in Mumbai. At the rally, Gandhi alleged that Apple iPhones and Boeing airplanes were being manufactured in other states at the expense of Maharashtra, accusing the BJP of favouring certain states.
“These projects generate jobs for five lakh youths which were snatched from you and given to Gujarat,” he remarked.
Criticising the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Rahul Gandhi had said, “There is a battle of ideology in the country. On one side is the BJP-RSS. On the other side is the INDIA alliance. On one side, there is Ambedkar ji's Constitution, which has unity, equality, love and respect. On the other hand, are the people of the BJP-RSS, who want to destroy the Constitution. But they (BJP-RSS) don’t say this openly because if they speak it openly then the whole country will stand against them.”
Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are scheduled for 20 November, with vote counting set to take place three days later.