New Delhi, Apr 3 (UNI) Congress on Saturday expressed doubts over the impartiality of the Election Commission and said the decision to truncate the electioneering ban on BJP Assam president and state Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma from 48 to 24 hours is in favour of the party in power."The role of the Election Commission is doubtful and in favour of power," the grand-old party alleged.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the 'poll body has torn off the page of impartiality from its book'.
"We were still waiting to see a strict action from the Election Commission in the EVM case, which was found in the BJP leader's car, another move of the Commission seems to have torn off the page of impartiality from its rule book," the Congress leader lambasted on Twitter tagging a picture of the EC order that gave Sarma a 24-hour relief.
She wondered under what pressure was the ban period reduced.
Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, too, reacted sharply over the relaxation from the EC and termed it as "a dark day for Parliamentary democracy".
"ECI doesn’t even have the guts to sustain its own order. Deplorable that EC buckles under Modi Govt’s pressure & reverses its own order of ban on Sh. Himanta Biswa Sarma," the Congress leader tweeted adding that history will neither pardon ECI nor BJP for this sin.
Shooting a series of questions towards the poll body, Mr Surjewala asked whether this "somersault taken suo moto or on a fresh plea by BJP or Himanta Sarma?
"If yes, why did EC then not call upon the complainant, BPF & Congress?. If no, why this vexatious change of heart? Does it now give a license to issue threat with impunity?," he questioned.
Meanwhile, Sarma, embarked on another road show this evening from Sonaram field to Lal Ganesh in support of Sri Ramendra Narayan Kalita, the candidate from west Guwahati Constituency.
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