EC asks Congress chief to clarify, rectify social media post on Karnataka's sovereignty
New Delhi, May 8: The Election Commission on Monday asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to clarify and rectify the party's social media post on Karnataka's sovereignty remark attributed to Sonia Gandhi.
The EC letter to Kharge came following a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party regarding a tweet which appeared on the official Twitter handle of the Indian National Congress on May 6.
In its complaint, the BJP has alleged, "Karnataka is a very important member state in the union of India and any call to protect the sovereignty of a member state of the Union of India amounts to a call for secession and is fraught with perilous & pernicious consequences."
The BJP also alleged in its complaint to the EC that the tweet is violative of the mandatory oath undertaken by the political parties under section 29A (5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 at the time of registration.
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"In view of the above, you are requested to clarify and take rectification measures in respect of the social media post which has been put up on the INC Twitter handle and attributed to Chairperson, CPP," the EC letter read.
A former Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi is currently the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson.
After Gandhi addressed a campaign rally in Hubballi in Karnataka on Saturday, the Congress tweeted from its official handle: "CPP Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji sends a strong message to 6.5 crore Kannadigas: 'The Congress will not allow anyone to pose a threat to Karnataka's reputation, sovereignty or integrity'."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have attacked the Congress over the remark.
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RR beat RCB by six wickets in IPL
Guwahati (PTI): Blistering fifties by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel powered Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match here on Friday.
Sent in to bat, RCB rode on a fighting half-century by skipper Rajat Patidar (63) to post 201 for 8.
Virat Kohli (32), Romario Shepherd (22) and Venkatesh Iyer (29) also chipped in with useful contributions.
In reply, Sooryavanshi (78 off 26 balls) and Dhruv Jurel (81 not out off 43 balls) shared a 37-ball 108-run partnership for the second wicket to set the platform. Krunal Pandya (2/30) tried to bring them back with back-to-back wickets.
But Jurel, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja (24), completed the task with another 68-run stand, with two overs to spare.
For RR, Jofra Archer (2/33), Ravi Bishnoi (2/32) and Brijesh Sharma (2/37) took two wickets.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 201 for 8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 63; Jofra Archer 2/33, Ravi Bishnoi 2/32, Brijesh Sharma 2/37).
Rajasthan Royals: 202 for 4 in 18 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 78, Dhruv Jurel 80 not out; Krunal Pandya 2/30, Josh Hazlewood 2/44).
