New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday asked Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh to share factual details in connection with his allegation that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called 150 district magistrates days before scheduled counting of votes.
The ECI has sought his response by Sunday evening.
The Election Commission in its letter to Ramesh said that no DMs have yet reported of any undue influence to the poll body. “The process of counting of votes is a sacred duty cast upon every RO (Returning Officer) and such public statements by a senior, responsible and experienced leader tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest,” the letter stated.
“You being a responsible experienced and very senior leader of a national party, you must have made such public statement just before the day of counting based on facts, information which you believed to be true. It is requested that details of 150 DMs to whom such calls have been allegedly made by the home minister along with the factual matrix basis of your information are shared by 7 pm today so that appropriate action can be taken,” it added.
On Saturday, Ramesh alleged that Amit Shah has been calling district magistrates and collectors and indulging in “blatant and brazen” intimidation.
“The outgoing home minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is,” Ramesh wrote on X.
The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 1, 2024
“Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious,” he asserted.
