The Hindu : Front Page : Another sari controversy hits BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 10, 2004

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Front Page

Another sari controversy hits BJP

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 9. On the eve of the final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party was embroiled in another "sari" controversy.

The Congress claimed it had caught the Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs and BJP nominee from Delhi Sadar, Vijay Goel, and a BJP worker "red handed" distributing saris in the Subzi Mandi area this morning.

As per the Election Commission's direction, the Delhi police tonight registered a First Information Report at the Subzi Mandi police station for bribery, wrongful restraint and voluntarily causing hurt. No one has been named in the FIR registered on the complaint lodged by the Congress' Vijay Kumar.

Though Mr. Goel refuted the allegations, he conceded that he was present at the place, but for other reasons. He was passing through the area when Congress workers were distributing saris, he claimed.

Earlier in the morning, the Congress candidate from Delhi Sadar, Jagdish Tytler, lodged a complaint with the Election Commission that the BJP was trying to bribe the voters of the area by distributing saris. The Commission has sought details from the police and a report on the action taken.

Police in their report are understood to have said that a complaint on distribution of saris was registered at the Subzi Mandi police station. They recovered five saris from one Roshan Lal and some saris from a woman this morning. As the offence was non-cognizable and bailable a magistrate would carry out the investigations.

Though no one was detained or arrested, police questioned three persons, including Davinder Singh, personal security officer of Mr. Goel.

Apparently not satisfied with the action taken, the Election Commission directed the Delhi police to register an FIR and make it a cognizable offence for bribery.

The incident, however, sparked a series of protests by Congress workers with Mr. Tytler charging Mr. Goel with trying to bribe the voters.

Mr. Tytler along with his supporters sat on a dharna at the Subzi Mandi police station, demanding registration of an FIR against Mr. Goel and all those "caught distributing" saris.

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