#Semifinals18: Act against 'communal' Kamal Nath: BJP to Election Commission

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janta Party on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to take action against Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath and his party, accusing him of seeking votes on religious grounds.

The party also accused him of hatching a "criminal conspiracy against free and fair polls" in the state, as it in its complaint to the EC referred to a purported video in which Kamal Nath is allegedly asking a group of Muslims to ensure that the Congress gets 90% of votes in their booths.

The Congress will suffer badly in the November 28 polls in the state if it does not happen - Kamal Nath, who has so far not responded to the charge, allegedly said.

A BJP delegation, including Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and S S Ahluwalia besides Rajya Sabha member and party spokesperson Anil Baluni, submitted a memorandum to the commission in which the party also sought action against a news channel over "paid opinion polls".

There has been no official response from Congress.

"This is a case of Congress spicing up its secularism with communalism. It sports a 'tilak' on the road and wears a cap in private," Naqvi said, in an apparent dig at the opposition party over its Hindu outreach and Kamal Nath's alleged appeal to Muslims for their votes at a private meeting.

It is a clear case of communal appeal for votes, he said.

The BJP urged the EC to take action against Kamal Nath and the Congress under the Representation of People Act, which bars seeking votes in the name of religion.

Delegation of @BJP4India demanded strict action against Congress and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Shri Kamalnath for violating electoral laws and model code of conduct by "threatening & pressurizing" the voters of a particular community to vote along communal lines.

— Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (@naqvimukhtar) November 21, 2018

The Congress leader had termed as fake another video in which he was purportedly seen urging Muslims to be wary of the RSS agenda.

The Congress is a "history-sheeter" in communal politics, Naqvi alleged.

The BJP leader also claimed that an opinion poll broadcast by a news channel on November 18 violated the EC's guidelines that bar telecast of any opinion or exit poll until the last day of polling is over after the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect 

A delegation of Shri @naqvimukhtar, Shri @SSAhluwaliaMP and Shri @anil_baluni gave a representation to the Election Commission on issues such as opinion poll in form of paid news and @INCIndia effort to incite communal and religious sentiment in #MadhyaPradesh. pic.twitter.com/ioujLEasqx

— Office of MoS_MeitY (@OMeity) November 21, 2018

The survey had forecast a better show by the Congress than the BJP in the assembly polls and Naqvi alleged it was a case of "paid news".

The BJP has also sought action against the Congress for allegedly offering allurements to voters in Madhya Pradesh.

With inputs from PTI