Congress moves EC against K'taka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra over alleged remark on guarantee schemes

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Saturday approached the Election Commission seeking legal action against BJP state president B Y Vijayendra for his alleged statement on guarantee schemes of the Siddaramaiah-headed government.

In a letter to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the Congress stated that while addressing election rallies at Mandya and Chikkaballapura on April 17, Vijayendra categorically attacked the five guarantees—Gruhajyothi, Gruhalakshmi, Yuvanidhi, Shakti Yojana, and Annabhagya introduced by the state government.

"He contended in his statement that because of the five guarantees, the state government has become bankrupt and if the voters are not going to vote in favour of the BJP candidates in Karnataka, the BJP will stop five guarantees after the Parliament elections, suggesting in his statement that the BJP will come to power in Karnataka after the Parliament elections," KPCC alleged in the letter.

The letter also said that Vijayendra has threatened the voters of Karnataka, more particularly those in Mandya and Chikkaballapura for furtherance of the prospects of the election of the candidates contesting on BJP and JDS symbols.

"The statement of BY Vijayendra is in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1951, and the provisions of the Indian Penal Code," it claimed.

The KPCC has urged the poll panel to take cognisance of the statement of Vijayendra and direct the concerned authorities to register a criminal case against the BJP state president and to prosecute him in the interest of free and fair elections in Karnataka.