New Delhi, April 30;
A delegation of senior AAP leaders on Tuesday met the Election Commission of India to sort out the issue of banning of AAP’s election campaign song and registered its protest against the poll body for its partisan role. Questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission, the Aam Aadmi Party said that the Commission is not ready to take action against the BJP for putting up objectionable hoardings of CM Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi regarding which the complaint was made about a month ago.
The delegation included senior AAP leaders and cabinet ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi, national secretary Pankaj Gupta and senior leader Dilip Pandey.
After meeting the Election Commission, Saurabh Bhardwaj said that we told the Election Commission that many objectionable and hideous hoardings have been put up by the Bharatiya Janata Party all over Delhi for about a month. In these hoardings, opposition leaders, especially Shri Arvind Kejriwal, have been shown in an objectionable manner through pictures. We had complained to the Commission in this regard a month ago. What action has the Commission taken on this so far? On this, the Election Commission said that we are not obliged to tell what action was taken. It is very surprising that an organization whose job is to see that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner in the country, the Election Commission is the watch dog for conducting elections transparently, that commission is saying that we are not obliged to tell.
Saurabh Bhardwaj said that we asked the Commission by when action will be taken on our complaint. Because one month has passed since the elections and the elections will end in the next one month. If the Commission does not take action for one more month, then our complaint is of no use. In response to this, the Election Commission said that we are not obliged to even tell when we will take action on this. Then we asked whether the Commission would act before the elections or after the elections. Then the Commission said that we will not tell this either. When we feel like it, we will take action and if we have to, we will do it, if we don’t have to, we will not. We asked the Commission that if it is allowed to put up nasty hoardings like this, then we will also put them up. On this, the Commission said ‘fine, fine’. When I asked the meaning of the fine, that too Chief Election Commissioner Sahib did not tell. I am shocked by the behaviour of the Commission. I would like that if the Election Commission makes CCTV recording of such meetings, then it should show the whole country how the Election Commission is not ready to take action even on a clear complaint. The Commission is not even ready to tell when it will take action. This is a matter of great surprise. We have told the Election Commission about the party’s theme song that there is nothing objectionable in the theme song of the Aam Aadmi Party. We have given a detailed reply to the Commission in this regard.
Sharing details of her meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner and the election commissioners, senior AAP leader Atishi expressed deep concern over what appears to be a lack of impartiality on the part of the Election Commission of India (ECI). She highlighted, “After a month, AAP finally got an appointment to meet the ECI, despite consistently seeking time on various issues since March 22.” Noting another concern, she said, “While the ECI promptly takes action against opposition parties when the BJP files a complaint, they have not taken any action on AAP’s complaints regarding BJP’s content over the past month.”
Ms. Atishi remarked that when the Aam Aadmi Party released its campaign song, immediate action was taken, and the song was swiftly banned. However, when Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation just before the elections, the Election Commission did not question it. And when ‘AAP’ made a campaign song about Kejriwal’s arrest, the Election Commission objected to it.
She emphasized that it is our demand from the Election Commission should remain neutral and bipartisan. Atishi highlighted, “Today’s Chief Election Commissioners are carrying forward the legacy of Election Commissioner TN Seshan, who championed free and fair elections in the country. We are concerned that the current Chief Election Commissioners should not be reminded that during their tenure, free and fair elections were not ensured, leading the country towards dictatorship.”
