Congress complains to EC against Rahul's security lapses in UP

New Delhi: Congress has approached the Election Commission seeking action against the Uttar Pradesh administration over “deliberate” security lapses in public meetings and rallies of Rahul Gandhi in the poll-bound state. In a written complaint to Chief Election Commissioner, the party has mentioned specific instances to draw the EC’s attention over what it has called “serious and deliberate” security lapses during the rallies addressed by the AICC general secretary in Uttar Pradesh, party sources said.[caption id=“attachment_206377” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Security problems. PTI”] [/caption] Naming organisations like Ramdev Samarthak Manch, Matadata Jagaran Manch and Swabhiman Manch, the party claimed that volunteers of these organisations caused security breaches in Gandhi’s programmes on 19 January at Baberu in Banda district, Orai in Jalaun district on 18 January and at Lalitpur on 17 January, respectively. Sources said the party has noted with concern that in all these programmes the volunteers of these organisations occupied the front row with large banners “too conspicuous to have gone unnoticed” by the local police and administration. Maintaining that this was done with an intention to disturb the campaign activity and that these groups followed the same modus operandi of shouting slogans to create chaos at the three venues, the party said, “this could not have taken place without the connivance or at the very least, the support of local administration”. In the complaint, the Congress has urged the EC to take “immediate cognisance of the matter” and take actions against the groups concerned. In the complaint, the AICC said, “We also urge the Election Commission to take strict action against the local administration for the complete failure of the administrative machinery to prevent these happenings.” Secretary of the legal and human rights department of the AICC, KC Mittal said, “Recurrence of such incidents in the meetings addressed by Gandhi, a SPG protectee, points to the failure on the part of the state machinery. It is a serious lapse and violation.” Mittal said that if the party is able to identify the individuals responsible for these incidents, it will ask the EC to issue instructions to the UP government to ensure that action is taken against these elements as per law. PTI