GUWAHATI, April 10 - Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging blatant violation of the model code of conduct by the ruling party during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the State.
It also sought the intervention of the EC into the matters and strong instructions to the State election machinery to take exemplary actions against the offenders involved in such acts, as per the provision of law.
The party said in its complaint that it has received �some very alarming reports� from different parts of the five Lok Sabha constituency areas, which are going to polls in the first phase tomorrow. The reports it has received stated that since yesterday evening, the BJP leaders, including its Ministers, MLAs, MPs, elected Panchayat members and its district level office-bearers were openly distributing huge amounts of money and liquor among the voters, specially those residing in the backward areas, tea gardens and in the hamlets of the tribal and backward classes� peoples.
Though the specific incidents were immediately reported by the Congress to the district administrations of Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat, no concrete steps have been initiated against the offenders and rather the cases have been diluted and the offenders were let off, thus vitiating the atmosphere needed for free and fair elections, said the APCC in its complaint.
It further stated that it has become apparent that the district and police administrations in the above districts have buckled down under the pressure of the ruling dispensation of the State, and going by the above incidents, it is apprehended that similar attempts will be made by the BJP leaders in the areas going to polls tomorrow.
