“If Modi can hold rally in J&K and Maoist affected areas, why not in Varanasi?”

Ahmedabad, 8 May, 2014

During dharna at Varanasi against Election Commission’s inaction and local Returning Officer’s partial treatment to BJP, senior leader Shri Arun Jaitly spoke to various media persons. Here are main points Shri Jaitley made during his talk to media:

–The district administration says, four out of five permissions are given to BJP. Which are these four permissions? (1) Landing of helicopter, (2) take off of helicopter,(3) Ganga Puja and (4) meeting in hotel with 150 people. Is this the Modi campaign? Why no permission to rally? They claim the venue of rally has problem. They cite law and order issue. They claim some violence happened at particular ground in 1991 due to grave digging dispute. But what about the fact that for last twenty years there’s peace. If there’s security problem, it’s their lookout. They need to ensure security or stop holding elections. If Modi can address rallies in moists affected areas, if rallies can be hold in Jammu & Kashmir, why not in Varanasi? What’s the problem with Varanasi?

–In fact the administration granted us permission at around 7.00 am on Wednesday for rally, and we were asked to deposit Rs. 10,000, but later the administration withdrew permission! The other four permissions were declared at 10.00 pm, but permission letter were given to us at 2.00 am. This also happened after at around 8.00 pm we told administration that we want to withdraw our application letters for permission as there’s not enough time to organize the events. How to organize the events between 2.00 am and scheduled time on Thursday? Our demand is to transfer the DM as we believe under him free and fair polls are not possible in Varanasi.

And here are glimpses of what Shri Amit Shah said while speaking to media:

–Varanasi Returning Officer is behaving like Samajwadi Party worker and MLA.

–If we are accused of violation of section 144, then district administration has violated Election code. First let they face action.

–Shri Modi has addressed 100s of rallies. He is going to address a rally 20 kms away from this place. For what reasons, administration should not permit him to hold rally in Varanasi?

–We are sitting here on peaceful dharna demanding immediate transfer of DM. We are doing dharna peacefully till 2.00 pm.

–The administration asked us to organize rally at alternative place, but the alternative ground has capacity to contain just around 2,000 people. It was meaningless to hold rally there.

Different view

A famous paan shop owner in Varanasi, whose shop is located in a shopping center just near the Lanka gate told a news channel that administration has done right thing by not permitting Modi’s rally at particular ground. Pan shop owner said there’s a particular type of population living around that ground and there are very narrow streets. One can’t trace, who comes from which street and disappears! The paan shop owner said there are terrorist people living in that locality. He said poor persons are selected and picked up and made terrorists in that Muslim dominated area.