Election commission cracked down on leaders booked for misleading public

BJP ups ante against Congress

Rahul & Kharge booked for bid to mislead electorate

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday upped the ante against the Congress, accusing its leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of trying to mislead the electorate and demanding their arrest.

The BJP's attack came a day after the Election Commission (EC) issued a notice to Gandhi and Kharge for allegedly making false statements about the Rafale deal during a rally in Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "The EC has taken cognisance of the false and malicious statements made by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. This is a clear attempt to mislead the electorate and undermine the electoral process."

Patra demanded that the EC take strict action against Gandhi and Kharge, including their arrest.

"We urge the EC to take immediate action and arrest Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for their blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct," Patra said.

The EC had on Monday issued a notice to Gandhi and Kharge, asking them to explain their statements within 24 hours.

The EC's notice came after the BJP filed a complaint against Gandhi and Kharge, alleging that they had made false and misleading statements about the Rafale deal during a rally in Madhya Pradesh.

In its complaint, the BJP claimed that Gandhi had alleged that the Modi government had bought 36 Rafale fighter jets at a price of Rs 1,600 crore each, while the actual price was Rs 526 crore each.

The BJP also alleged that Kharge had claimed that the Modi government had given an offset contract worth Rs 30,000 crore to a company owned by the son of a BJP leader, which was false.

The Congress has denied the BJP's allegations, saying that Gandhi and Kharge were only highlighting the corruption in the Rafale deal.