Narendra Modi denied permission for one of his rallies in Varanasi

Ahmedabad, 7 May, 2014

BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was scheduled to address two rallies in Varanasi on Thursday, but was denied permission by district authorities for one of the venues on the grounds that it was ‘already booked’. Modi is also likely to participate in traditional Maha Aarti at Varanasi ghaat.

Senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah met in Varanasi to formulate an alternative plan, reported Times Now. Modi is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from two constituencies, Vadodara and Varanasi. Varanasi goes to polls on May 12, as a part of the final phase of elections.

Jaitley speaks

BJP leader Arun Jaitley today alleged that the district magistrate, who is serving as electoral officer for Varanasi Lok Sabha polls, was making “unbelievable” excuses to “deny” security approval for the rally, which was a right of any candidate.

BJP said it has written to Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath against the local electoral officer and has demanded his removal.

Modi is scheduled to hold a public meeting at Beniya Bagh area here tomorrow evening, after another rally in Rohania, a rural assembly constituency outside the main Varanasi city but within the Lok Sabha constituency.

The permission was being held back for Beniya Bagh on the grounds that it was very crowded and unfit for holding rallies, officials said, while adding that the administration had also got certain requests from the general public for not allowing rallies in such areas due to security risks.

Top officials, however, sought to blame the delay in approval to non-receipt of ground report from security agencies and said a final decision could be taken by evening.

They claimed that the request for the rally in Beniya Bagh area here was received yesterday only.

They said that the district administration was waiting for the ground report from the police and local intelligence unit and a final decision on approval for the rally would be taken thereafter.

Terming the situation as “unprecedented”, Jaitley said, “Holding public meeting in his constituency is right of every candidate and Narendra Modi cannot be denied the same.”

“If the approval is denied on the basis of some back-dated letter or so-called intelligence alerts about security issues, they are only excuses. We have written to the CEC and hope the situation to become clear very soon,” he said.

When asked whether BJP suspects that UP state government was behind the “denial”, Jaitley said, “I do not know who is interfering, but the DM as an electoral officer is free to decide on such things and he is not supposed to come under any kind of pressure.

“We have written to CEC to seek his removal from here.” Varanasi goes to polls on May 12 and the campaigning will end on May 10 evening here.