New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday complained to the Election Commission against Congress leader and Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma, and sought stringent action against him for promising sub-quota for Muslims if his party was voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, alleging Verma violated the election model code of conduct and demanded registration of a criminal case against him.
"We told the Election Commission that the Congress party manifesto did not mention anything about sub-quotas for minorities and by making such a statement, Beni Prasad has violated the model code of conduct," BJP general secretary J.P. Nadda said.
"We said such defaulters should be prosecuted and a criminal case be registered against them," said Nadda, who was accompanied by BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shahnawaz Hussain.
The BJP delegation met Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quarishi and the two Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and H.S. Brahma here.
They also submitted a copy of the CD of Verma's speech.
Verma's speech re-ignited the row over quota for minorities in the state.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid was the first Congress leader who made the sub-quota remark while campaigning for his wife Louise, who is contesting from the Farrukhabad assembly constituency last month.
The poll panel had censured Khurshid and expressed hope that he would not violate the model code of conduct again.
Addressing a political rally at Kayamganj assembly constituency in Farrukhabad district Wednesday, Verma said: "Muslims don't have their homes; they don't have jobs and 70 percent of them work as labourers. Non-Congress governments in the state have not done anything for their betterment."
Verma also dared the poll panel to take action against him for his quota comments.
In its memorandum, the BJP said: "The ECI should now consider measures more stringent than a mere censure such as prosecution and debarring of the delinquent ministers from electioneering in extraordinary situations such as the present one where lawmakers become lawbreakers."
"Repeated breach of the MCC (model code of conduct) is itself reprehensible, but what compounds the offence is that the same offence is repeated by different functionaries holding ministerial positions," the BJP memorandum said.
"The Election Commission has assured us that they will take appropriate action against Verma under the law," Nadda told reporters.
The BJP submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, alleging Verma violated the election model code of conduct and demanded registration of a criminal case against him.
"We told the Election Commission that the Congress party manifesto did not mention anything about sub-quotas for minorities and by making such a statement, Beni Prasad has violated the model code of conduct," BJP general secretary J.P. Nadda said.
"We said such defaulters should be prosecuted and a criminal case be registered against them," said Nadda, who was accompanied by BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shahnawaz Hussain.
The BJP delegation met Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quarishi and the two Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and H.S. Brahma here.
They also submitted a copy of the CD of Verma's speech.
Verma's speech re-ignited the row over quota for minorities in the state.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid was the first Congress leader who made the sub-quota remark while campaigning for his wife Louise, who is contesting from the Farrukhabad assembly constituency last month.
The poll panel had censured Khurshid and expressed hope that he would not violate the model code of conduct again.
Addressing a political rally at Kayamganj assembly constituency in Farrukhabad district Wednesday, Verma said: "Muslims don't have their homes; they don't have jobs and 70 percent of them work as labourers. Non-Congress governments in the state have not done anything for their betterment."
Verma also dared the poll panel to take action against him for his quota comments.
In its memorandum, the BJP said: "The ECI should now consider measures more stringent than a mere censure such as prosecution and debarring of the delinquent ministers from electioneering in extraordinary situations such as the present one where lawmakers become lawbreakers."
"Repeated breach of the MCC (model code of conduct) is itself reprehensible, but what compounds the offence is that the same offence is repeated by different functionaries holding ministerial positions," the BJP memorandum said.
"The Election Commission has assured us that they will take appropriate action against Verma under the law," Nadda told reporters.
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