Congress demands EC to debar Kejriwal from campaigning over 'communal' statement

The Congress filed a complaint with the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Friday against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly making a ‘communal’ and ‘provocative’ statement and demanded that he be barred from campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

A delegation led by Delhi MP Sandip Dikshit, son of Delhi Congress president and North East Delhi candidate Sheila Dikshit, met the CEO at his Kashmere gate office and submitted a memorandum against Kejriwal. The delegation also included Delhi Congress leader Mangat Ram Singhal, spokespersons Ramakant Goswami and Jitendra Kochar, and Onika Mehrotra.

The Congress delegation alleged that Kejriwal asked the "Muslim voters" not to vote for the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls as the party was not getting a "single Hindu vote".

Speaking to media, the Congress leader said, "We have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer, drawing his attention to Kejriwal's televised interview in which he has asked the Muslim voters not to vote for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections as the party was not getting a single Hindu vote."

"Kejriwal's statement is highly communal and illegal in nature, and is intended to divide the Hindu and Muslim votes, and attract the voters along communal lines," he added.

At a press conference on Thursday, the Delhi chief minister had said the Congress was not getting a single Hindu vote in the parliamentary polls while Muslims were a little confused.

"The Congress is trying to weaken the opposition in different states -- whether it is Kerala, Haryana, Goa, West Bengal or Uttar Pradesh. But I hope that people from all religions, who want to save the country, would unite and vote for the AAP," he had said.