NEW DELHI: The former Prime Minister V.P. Singh on Thursday led the demand that the Election Commission (EC) derecognise the Bharatiya Janata Party for trying to disseminate communally inflammable material to boost its election prospects in Uttar Pradesh.

While Mr. Singh met EC officials to press his demand, a group of citizens appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner to derecognise the BJP and disqualify it from the elections. The first phase of polling is scheduled for April 7.

The All-India Democratic Women's Association demanded "stringent action against the BJP for communal election propaganda." It said a compact disc released by the party contained references to the planned abduction of Hindu girls by Muslim boys aided by Muslim clerics, after which the girls were forced to adopt Islam.

The offending CD made light of the Sachar Committee recommendations, and said the Government had promised to provide benefits to Muslims. If such action was undertaken, should Hindus leave the country, a voice on the CD asks.

Social activists and concerned citizens — among them are Teesta Setalvad, who has been fighting for justice for the victims of the 2002 riots in Gujarat; Swami Agnivesh, who has fought against bonded slavery; and theatre personality M.K. Raina — pointed out that the BJP was guilty of a "constitutional, criminal and electoral offence." With modern technology, a CD could be reproduced in minutes, and the "fascist network of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" had probably already circulated thousands of discs.

Withdrawal of CD

Those demanding the BJP's derecognition pointed out that by simply saying the party had "withdrawn" the objectionable CD, nothing had changed. In fact, the citizen's appeal — signed by Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand, Kamal Farooqui, Ram Rehman, M.K. Raina, Madhu Prasad, Rajendra Prasad, Indira Chandrashekhar and Jawed Naqvi — pointed out that the Gujarat 2002 "genocide" and now the party's "official" communal propaganda were "blatant attempts to subvert the Constitution," and a "full-fledged judicial inquiry" was needed to expose the conspiracy.

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