EC biased towards Congress, alleges Mayawati

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Tuesday launched a scathing attack against the Election Commission during a press briefing. Mayawati alleged that the Election Commission was biased in favour of Congress and working on its directions.

"I would like to say that the EC officials are acting on the directives of the Congress and its allies. The EC under political pressure is trying to stop BSP to gain power despite the party having peoples' support in its favour," Mayawati claimed.

Taking on CEC Navin Chawla and the Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, Mayawati said that no free and fair elections can take place in the state with Chawla heading the EC.

She told reporters, "Both members of EC (Navin Chawla and S Y Quraishi) are active members of the Congress coterie. Under such circumstances, free and fair elections are not possible in the country. I strongly condemn the EC tactics."

Mayawati also attacked Quraishi saying that he has vested interests in the state and is supporting the Congress as well as the Samajwadi Party.

"Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has interest in Uttar Pradesh as he himself hails from the state and has relatives there. He has relations with a famous Samajwadi Party leader," the BSP supremo alleged.

According to PTI, Mayawati also said that transfer of police officers on Monday in Jaunpur where a candidate was found hanging had "proved apprehensions of former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami regarding integrity of his successor Navin Chawla".

"Gopalaswami had written a letter to the President doubting the integrity of Chawla and had alleged that his deputy was working as a Congress agent. The Jaunpur transfers had proved that former CEC's allegations were true," the BSP supremo said.

She said never in the past such serious allegations have been levelled against any CEC. "Under such circumstances, Chawla should have resigned on his own. Unfortunately that did not happen," she said.

Mayawati alleged that Quraishi was indulging in activities which had nothing to do with the poll process, PTI said.

"Due to his personal interest, Quraishi, instead of visiting states where violence took place in the first phase, is coming to UP again and again and indulging in activities which had nothing to do with the poll process," she alleged.

Mayawati termed as unfortunate the Election Commissioner's remarks warning UP officials of serious action.

She added that "Quraishi has personal animosity against some officials of the state.

"Without making any inquiry, Quraishi asked the officials to mend their ways immediately and threatened them to ruin their career. This is very unfortunate. Keeping in view the attitude of the EC, I am sure that the Lok Sabha elections are neither fair nor free," she said.

"The inquiry committee, which submitted its report yesterday, has said that prima facie it was a case of suicide and no political person was involved," she said.

She said: "the EC on the basis of a report submitted by two IAS officials, who do not have any experience of investigating crime, transferred three police officers including the additional SP. The action taken by the EC was unfortunate."

Such action will demoralize the government machinery which is committed to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections, the UP Chief Minister said.

"In the first phase, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state. Under such circumstances instead of patting our back, the EC had removed three officers only on the basis of baseless complaints, which is not justified," she said.

Mayawati maintained the EC's action will create hurdles in the state government's effort to conduct peaceful and fair elections.

"This is a serious situation for democracy and Congress is solely responsible for this. But I would like to add that the EC's tactics will not help the Congress or any of the opposition parties in the ongoing polls," she said.