By IANS
New Delhi : The Election Commission Sunday issued a notice to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, asking her to explain her “merchants of death” remark made during the Gujarat poll campaign after Chief Minister Narendra Modi demanded action against her.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh was also issued a notice for saying Gujarat was witnessing “Hindu terrorism”.
The decision to send the notices was taken at a two-hour meeting of the panel Sunday, following a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) complaint alleging the two leaders had violated the code of conduct.
They have been given time till Tuesday to file their replies.
The notices came a day after Modi replied to a notice asking him to explain his speech allegedly justifying the extra-judicial killing of a Muslim man in 2005.
In his response to the poll panel, Modi had sought “an even-handed approach” and asserted that the commission should also serve notice on Gandhi and Singh for their remarks.
He said he referred to Sohrabuddin Sheikh, who was killed by the Gujarat police in a staged shootout, in his Dec 4 speech only under provocation from Gandhi who had described him as “merchant of death” in her speech a day earlier.
Modi pointed out that the CD of his speech, on the basis of which the poll panel issued him the show cause notice Thursday, made it clear that he never said that he had got Sheikh killed.
As the BJP raised the issue, the Congress Friday said Gandhi’s remark was aimed at Gujarat officials. However, it Saturday said Gandhi meant Modi himself.