MARGAO
The INDIA bloc supporting the Congress candidate for the South Goa seat has come under the scanner of Returning Officer for the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency, Asvin Chandru.
Two days after Aam Aadmi Party volunteers led by Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas had a meeting near the Shivaji circle, Curchorem to drum up support for the INDIA bloc candidate, the Returning Officer has issued a notice to MLA Venzy to show cause within 48 hours why appropriate action for violation of Model Code of Conduct should not be taken against him for holding a public meeting without obtaining prior permission from the competent authorities.
The Returning Officer has warned of appropriate action or decision without making any further reference in the event of no response from the MLA, on the presumption that he has nothing to say in the matter.
Venzy along with party volunteers on Tuesday morning submitted a reply to the office of the Returning Officer, pointing out the volunteers had used less than 50 decibel speaker at Curchorem.
Terming the allegations levelled in the show
cause a blatant lie, Venzy said this only goes to show that the BJP has turned jittery as the INDIA bloc candidates are winning the two Goa seats.
Saying that a reply has been filed before the Returning Officer in respect of the show cause notice, Venzy said the reply filed before the officer is clear that nothing as mentioned in the show cause notice had taken place at Curchorem.
“The BJP is afraid of the INDIA bloc and hence have now started issuing show cause notices to the opposition. It is a blatant lie that the INDIA bloc had held a meeting with loudspeakers. We have held such small interactions across South Goa and the action has been suddenly taken by the election authorities as the BJP is afraid of a sure defeat in Goa,” Venzy added.
