Cong moves EC to stop Modi's visit to Varanasi's top universities

Congress today approached the Election Commission protesting Narendra Modi’s plan to visit two top educational institutions in Varanasi when he files his nomination papers on Thursday, alleging the campuses were chosen by BJP for electoral gains. In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath, the Secretary of AICC Legal and Human Rights Department K C Mittal said that as per the plan, Modi’s helicopter will land in the premises of Kashi Hindu Vishwa Vidyalaya, where he would garland the statute Madan Mohan Malviya and then and fly to Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth from where his road show will begin. [caption id=“attachment_1492129” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] “It is pertinent to mention here that Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth and Kashi Hindu Vishwa Vidyalaya are central and state universities which cannot be allowed to be used for political purposes by the leaders of the political parties or any candidate. “As such, Modi cannot use the premises of both the universities for landing or use their names or premises in any manner whatever, for filing his nomination. In 2001, the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Congress President Sonia Gandhi were not permitted to use Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth premises,” Mittal said in the letter. The Congress leader said the Executive Council of these universities do not allow use of university premises or the ground for any such purpose nor has it till date permitted to any political parties or the leaders to use for the purpose. “It is also the time when examinations are going on in the universities. As far as the landing of helicopter is concerned, there is enough splace available at Varanasi in other than the two universities. It seems that they have chosen the campus of these two universities for their electoral purposes,” he said wondering how such permission has been granted to BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. “How and under what pressure such permission has been granted to Modi and BJP is a matter of investigation by the Commission,” Mittal said demanding the EC should issue instructions to the Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh and all other concerned officers at Varanasi to cancel any such permission. PTI