BJP moves EC to ask govt to stop making key appointments

20042014

BJP on Saturday moved the Election Commission seeking directions from it to ask the government to stop making key appointments during poll and sought action against the Prime Minister’s media adviser for allegedly violating the election model code by listing achievements of the government.

“The government must be instructed that it doesn’t make any appointment to important posts as it is in violation of the model code of conduct,” BJP general secretary J P Nadda said after leading a party delegation to Deputy Election Commissioner Sudhir Tripathi and handed over a memorandum to him.  BJP also moved the poll body seeking action on deletion of names of over one lakh voters in Pune Lok Sabha constituency and asked the EC to allow all such voters to exercise their franchise at a later date.  The memorandum demanded an immediate stop to appointment of teachers being made in Kendriya Vidayalayas across the country despite the model code being in force.  In its complaint, BJP has alleged the PM’s media adviser Pankaj Pachouri made a very brief mention on the issue on which the press conference was held and talked at length about the achievements of the Prime Minister.  “The media adviser is also a government employee and he is violating the model code of conduct by speaking about the government’s achievements.  We have demanded a thorough inquiry into it and apropriate action in this regard,” he said.  “The Prime Minister also has landed himself in the collateral responsibility of explaining this indiscretion,” the memorandum states.  The BJP memorandum alleges the PM’s media adviser has “frontally violated” the provisions of section VII of the model code of conduct that states that the party in power shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that it has used its official position for the purpose of election campaign.