Congress at EC over 'libelous' ads against Siddaramaiah
New Delhi, April 27: The Congress on Friday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission (EC) against the Karnataka unit of BJP for "publishing and broadcasting false, misleading and defamatory advertisements" in print and electronic media.
The party said such advertisements were a violation of model code of conduct by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was doing this for the sake of votes.
The Congress complained that the BJP in Karnataka levelled "false, frivolous, baseless, unfounded and unsubstantiated charges" against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to "malign his image".
The complaint was made as the model code is in force in the state which goes to polls on May 12.
The party demanded that the Commission inquire into the complaint and take strict and prompt action in the matter.
The memorandum was submitted by Congress leaders Mohan Prakash, P.L. Punia, Vivek Tankha, Avinash Pandey, Sushmita Dev and Pranav Jha to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Om Prakash Rawat.
"That a print advertisement was published in various newspapers in Karnataka with an intent to malign the image of Chief Minister of the state by making false and unverified allegations against him.
"In these advertisements, the Karnataka BJP has made serious allegations and remarks using unsubstantiated and vague metrics like 'goondaraj', killing of lakes, garbage mess, etc.," the memorandum said.
"These advertisements blatantly use the Chief Minister's name and likeness to malign his character. Use of words 'Siddha Sarkar' and a cut-out of Chief Minister makes it explicit that the allegations are of personal nature...," it added.
The memorandum stated that similar advertisements had also appeared on various television channels.
"We request the Election Commission, in accordance with parliamentary and democratic traditions, to inquire into the matter and take strict and prompt action...against the Karnataka BJP for violation of model code," said the party.
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Dense fog envelops Delhi, over 100 flights delayed
New Delhi (PTI): A thick blanket of dense fog enveloped Delhi on Friday morning, reducing visibility to zero which impacted air and train operations, according to officials.
They said over 100 flights were delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and 26 trains were running late.
According to the India Meteorological Department, "Zero visibility has prevailed over Palam since 4.30 IST with southeasterly winds blowing at 6-8 kmph."
At Safdarjung, visibility remains limited to a minimum of 50 meters in dense fog since 5.30 IST with calm winds, the IMD added.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 notches below normal, while the air quality was recorded in the severe category.
According to the CPCB air quality bulletin, the AQI at 9 am was recorded in the "severe" category with a reading of 408.
The weatherman has forecast very dense fog for the day , with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 16 degrees Celsius.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
