IANS/New Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party yesterday urged the Election Commission to take strict action against TV channels for airing a message from Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in violation of electoral laws.
The AAP said it was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to telecast an appeal from Modi to the electorate on a day his constituency Varanasi was voting.
“AAP is shocked to see the gross violation of the MCC by media houses and the ostrich approach of the Election Commission,” the AAP complaint said.
“The whole of India is aware that Modi is a contestant in Varanasi and broadcasting his political speeches amounts to influencing the voters of Varanasi,” the anti-corruption party said.
The AAP said that MCC was applicable to all citizens, and media houses were no exception.
“By not initiating suo-moto action against these media channels, is the Election Commission indicating its submissiveness?
“It is the Election Commission’s duty to conduct a free and fair (election). Why isn’t the Election Commission issuing any direction to these news channels to stop the broadcast forthwith?”
The AAP demanded “strong and exemplary action” against the erring TV channels.
In the video message, Modi urged the electorate to vote in large numbers and contribute towards changing the country’s future.
Asked if such a message on the polling day violates the election code, a senior Election Commission official said: “No, it’s not a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The channels have been paid, and hence are showing the video.”
Also yesterday, the election watchdog asked authorities in Varanasi to file case against Congress candidate Ajay Rai for displaying the party symbol at a polling booth there.
Rai, the Congress candidate from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, walked into a polling station to cast his vote with the party symbol ‘hand’ pinned to his kurta.
Election law bans the use of any party symbol within 100m of a polling station.
However, Rai received surprise support from veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi
Who said it was “small issue.”
The former federal minister said not much should be made out of such incidents.
When told that his party had lodged a formal complaint against Rai with the Election Commission, Joshi, the incumbent MP from Varanasi and now contesting from Kanpur, asked if the hands of people should be chopped off while going to vote.
The 86-year-old Joshi was in Varanasi to cast his vote.
He however added later he expected the EC to behave in an impartial manner.
“We would like to now see if the set of rules under the Model Code of Conduct are the same for all,” he told reporters.
In other developments, at least 20 people were injured in a clash between activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Trinamool Congress in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, police said. Twelve people have been arrested in this connection.
The incident took place in Brahmanchak village in Haroa block in Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, some 40km from Kolkata.
Sub-divisional police officer Abhijit Banerjee said 12 people were arrested.
The injured said they were CPM activists and supporters, and accused the Trinamool cadres of orchestrating the attack. They claimed four of them received bullet injuries.