AAP leader Atishi questions EC’s neutrality after show cause notice

AAP minister Atishi Marlena has accused the Election Commission of being a “subsidiary organization” of the BJP after the top election body sent her a show-cause notice.

The show-cause notice was issued in view of Atishi’s allegations that BJP had approached her to join the party or face an Enforcement Directorate inquiry within 30 days.

“On 4 April, the BJP registered a complaint against one of my press conferences…On 5 April at 11:15 am, news channels flash that a notice had been sent to Atishi, but half an hour after the news, I got the notice in the mail. This means that the BJP first plants the Election Commission notice in the media and after that, I get the notice…My question is whether the Election Commission has become a subsidiary organisation of BJP,” Atishi said during a press briefing.

Atishi had earlier claimed that the BJP approached her to join their ranks through a “very close person”.  She claimed that she along with three other AAP leaders - Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha, and Durgesh Pathak - would be next on line to be arrested by the ED if they didn't join the BJP.

Following this, the Election Commission in its notice said, “You are a minister in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and leader of a national party. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from the public forum by their leaders and in that sense, the statements made by them affect the campaign discourse.”

EC also asked Atishi to back her statement with facts, saying, “When the veracity of the statements made by you is contested then you must be able to back your statements by a factual basis.”
Atishi expressed her concerns about the EC's impartiality, citing instances where the EC did not take action against the BJP for their alleged objectionable hoardings and posters.

She also questioned why the EC did not issue notices to central agencies after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested and bank accounts of the Congress were frozen ahead of elections.

Atishi has stated that she will reply to the notice and remind the EC of the neutrality and non-partisanship expected of it in conducting free and fair elections in the country.