Rahul Gandhi seeks more time from EC to respond to its show-cause notice

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has again sought more time from the Election Commission to respond to its show cause notice pertaining to his speech in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol on April 23. The poll panel is yet to take a decision. It is learnt that Mr. Gandhi has requested that he be allowed to submit reply by this weekend. The Commission sent the notice on May 1, seeking a response within 48 hours. However, it extended the deadline to Tuesday on his appeal. The notice has been issued based on allegations that during the impugned speech, the Congress chief said that Narendra Modi had brought in a new law under which tribal people could be shot at. “They snatch away your land, jungle and water…and then, say that the tribal people can be shot at,” Mr. Gandhi had said, according to the complaint lodged by the BJP.