EC starts inquiry over Amit Shah's remark

 

BJP president Rajnath Singh on Saturday said Shah's remarks were 'taken out of context'.

 

"He was just referring to the bad governance of the Congress," Singh told media.

 

Triggering a controversy, Shah has urged people to take their revenge by voting for his party in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

 

Addressing a rally at a riot-hit Jat village near Muzaffarnagar, Shah said, "If you want to take revenge, vote for the BJP."

 

"In today's time you can't take revenge with swords and arrows like it was done in the Mughal era. But today the people are constantly being denied justice ... they are not getting their rights. So, you press the right button (on the Electronic Voting Machine) and show people their right place," he said.

 

Following this, political parties have attacked Shah for his remarks.

 

Seeking a criminal case against Shah and a ban on his campaigning for the upcoming polls, the ruling Congress had approached the Election Commission.

 

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said Amit Shah's speech reflected the real manifesto of their party.

 

"The BJP does not need to release their manifesto. The language of  Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has given us enough indication of their real manifesto," Randeep Surjewala  told media.

 

"Amit Shah is trying to create division in Uttar Pradesh. It should be condemned," Surjewala  said.

 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also criticised Shah and urged the Election Commission of India to immediately order registration of a criminal case against the BJP’s national general secretary.

 

"The Aam Aadmi Party demands that the Election Commission of India should immediately order registration of a criminal case against the BJP’s national general secretary Mr Amit Shah for his inflammatory remarks aimed at spreading communal hatred," AAP said in a statement.

 

"The highly objectionable remarks of Mr Shah on Thursday at Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh), which he repeated on Friday and have been widely reported in the media, appear to be a part of his party’s deliberate strategy to vitiate the atmosphere of communal harmony at the time of elections. According to the AAP, Shah’s utterances, which have not been denied either by him or his party so far, clearly constitute a criminal offence under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code, and should be booked without any delay.These remarks are also a clear violation of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct," the party said.

 

Samjawadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said Shah's remarks reflected  'fascist ideology'.