PANAJI
The Election Commission of India has issued a fresh notice to Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar rubbishing some of the claims he had made in reply to his first notice and asking him to respond afresh by February 9.
The notice issued on Tuesday, reiterates that it is of the opinion that Parrikar has made comments in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The issue of authenticity of the CD and the veracity of the transcript has been assessed. As per the communication received from the District Electoral Officer-cum-Collector, North Goa, it has been confirmed that the CD has not been tampered with in any manner whatsoever.
Parrikar in his initial reply filed by Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai questioned the authenticity of the CD and the veracity of the transcripts.
Parrikar is also believed to have questioned the Election Commission's method of posting the notice to his New Delhi address.
“The notice was served at your residence 10, Akbar Road, New Delhi at 3:30 pm on 01/02/2017 through peon book (copy enclosed). Thereafter the notice was uploaded in the Commission's website. The notice was immediately mailed to CEO, Goa for delivery to you at Goa,” the fresh notice reads.
For his benefit, the Election Commission of India has repeated the transcript of his objectionable remarks.
“Now somebody will give you two thousand Rupees, thousand rupees, three thousand rupees. Calculate it. We give one thousand five hundred per month. In five years, one thousand five hundred becomes ninety thousand and this will further increase, therefore you will get nearly a lakh or one lakh twenty five thousand rupees for the next five years. You vote him by taking two thousand rupees from someone (voice not clear). It is not ok, somebody will hold a rally, there is no objection, someone roams there with five hundred rupees. But vote shall be for lotus only…,” Parrikar is recorded as having said.
“Your statements amount to abetting and promoting electoral offence of bribery... and the commission is prima-facie of the opinion that by making the aforesaid statements you have violated the provision of the Model Code of Conduct,” the Election Commission’s Secretary Sumit Mukherjee said in the first notice notice addressed to Manohar Parrikar.
Parrikar remained defiant in response to the Election Commission’s notice questioning the version, saying he was misquoted besides also calling into question the practice to send the notice to his residence in New Delhi.
Parrikar had made the comments at a meeting in Chimbel at the height of campaigning days in the run up to the election.
