Ahmedabad, Apr 22 (PTI) Ahead of the April 26 Gujarat local body polls, BJP Lok Sabha MP Mitesh Patel’s remarks, allegedly threatening to block development grants if voters elect Congress nominees in Anklav town, have ignited a controversy and led the Opposition party to file a complaint against him.
The Gujarat Congress on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission (SEC) against Patel over his controversial comments made two days ago.
The Opposition party demanded legal action against the Member of Parliament from Anand in central Gujarat over the remarks made during campaigning for the elections to local self-government bodies, including 260 taluka panchayats, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 15 civic corporations.
Patel made the controversial comments at a campaign meeting at Anklav town in Anand district on Monday night in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
The Anklav municipality is among the urban bodies going to polls.
The ruling party MP claimed that in the past Congress discriminated against BJP leaders and denied them grants to carry out development works.
The same should happen to Congress leaders if they win the upcoming elections, Patel is heard purportedly saying in a video.
“Development proposals submitted by BJP members were ignored (during Congress rule), leaving them unable to fulfil promises made to voters. If even one Congress member wins (in Anklav), we will not give them a single rupee in grant, I am announcing this from the stage,” Patel declared at the rally.
The remarks stoked a controversy and drew sharp criticism from the Opposition party.
In the same speech, the BJP parliamentarian questioned the delay in development of Railway projects during the tenure of the UPA government when the Congress MP from the region, Bharatsinh Solanki, was the Minister of State for Railways.
In its complaint to the SEC, the Congress drew the poll panel’s attention to Patel’s remarks.
“In his speech from the stage on April 20, Anand MP Miteshbhai Patel said, ‘If members of the Congress are elected in Ankalav taluka, they should not be given a grant,’ and with the cooperation of the state government, we will run Ankalav taluka in our own way,” according to the complaint.
The Opposition party said that through his comments, the BJP MP tried to influence the outcome of the elections by threatening voters to deprive them of development funds in case they vote for the Congress and its candidates emerge victorious.
Such a statement, made in the presence of the deputy chief minister, also gives an indirect message that the BJP government will help in not giving grant (if Congress members win), it said.
“The speech made by Patel incites people and spreads fear among voters, completely violating the MCC (Model Code of Conduct) imposed by the State Election Commission. We demand, with immediate effect, criminal action against those who violate the MCC and threaten voters,” the Congress said in its complaint. PTI KA PD RSY
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