Kolkata: The Election Commission Tuesday censured former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay for his controversial comment on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and debarred him from campaigning for 24 hours.
In the order, the poll panel asked BJP president JP Nadda to issue an advisory on behalf of the party to all candidates and campaigners to make sure that this lapse does not recur during the campaign period.
The ECI described Gangopadhyay’s remark as a “low-level personal attack”, and said he violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The poll body also warned Gangopadhyay, the BJP’s Tamluk candidate, to remain careful in his public utterances during the campaign.
Referring to Gangopadhyay’s comments on Banerjee, the poll body also “painfully notes the fact that such abominable words have come from someone of Gangopadhyay’s educational and professional background and hence does not remotely deserve any benefit of doubt”.
Gangopadhyay Monday sent his reply to the show-cause notice issued by the EC for his “undignified” remark against Banerjee.
“The commission has carefully gone through the contents and averments made in the aforesaid reply of Abhijit Gangopadhyay and has again gone through the statement made and is convinced that he has made a low-level personal attack and thus violated the provisions of the MCC.
“Now, therefore, the commission hereby strongly censures Gangopadhyay for the above-said misconduct and debars him from campaigning for 24 hours starting from 5 pm of May 21,” the order said.
The EC said that according to a clause, political leaders’ criticism of other parties should be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work and “shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties.”
Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion should also be avoided, it said.
The EC acted on a complaint by the Trinamool Congress against Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Banerjee while addressing a public meeting held May 15 in Haldia.
In the order, the poll panel told Nadda: “The Commission advises you to issue an advisory from your party’s side to all candidates and campaigners of your party to make sure that this lapse does not recur during the campaign period”.
Responding to ECI’s directive, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya the party accepts the decision, but also questioned why the poll panel did not take any step when the PM and other BJP leaders were verbally attacked by opposition leaders.
“I will tell the ECI to keep their eyes and ears open… The way the ECI has kept mum in those cases, I think the ECI must consult an ENT specialist… The AIIMS, New Delhi is not far away (from its office),” Bhattacharya said.
The Trinamool Congress has placed the entire matter in a wrong manner to the ECI, he said adding that the former judge is a highly educated person who would never insult any woman.
Days after resigning as a judge of the Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay joined the BJP March 7.
PTI