He may be desperate to lead the nation into a new world “jahan gham bhi na ho, aansoo bhi na ho” but Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal instead of posting pictures of AAP voters bringing in the much promised revolution in Punjab on polling day, ranted against the Election Commission, blaming, you guessed it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its “biased functioning”.
He blamed the EC for faulty electronic voting machines (EVMs), which going by his tweets were not working only in Malwa and Majitha, the constituency of AAP bugbear Shiromani Akali Dal’s Bikram Singh Majithia.
Only by the end of the day when the voting percentage touched 75, did Kejriwal smile into a mobile phone recording a thank you video for AAP supporters. “I am choked with emotion,” he said specially thanking NRIs and the party’s donors. “Modi ji had made it so difficult for us. Our donors were being targeted. But you still supported us,” he said.
Through the day, however, it seems, things were not going as expected for the AAP leader. “Jaise Modi ji ne RBI ka beda gark kar diya, aise hee apne chamchon ko baithakar Modi ji ne EC ka bhi beda gark kar diya,” he tweeted. “This is a completely shameless n spineless EC,” Kejriwal said retweeting one ‘Main sneaky hoon na’ handle holder on Twitter. “The EC has completely surrendered before Modiji like the CBI n RBI,” he wrote, retweeting “first time India is witness (to) the most toothless, helpless, dead, incompetent, ineffective and political Election Commission in recent times.” He has repeatedly targeted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for acting on the directions of the Prime Minister’s Office.
“As per the EC notification, the polling time in Goa is 7am to 5pm but in Punjab it is from 8am to 5 pm (one hour less). Why?” Kejriwal wanted to know at the end of the voting day. Despite the timings having been announced by the state chief electoral officer a month ago, the AAP objected to it only at the last minute.
{{/usCountry}}“As per the EC notification, the polling time in Goa is 7am to 5pm but in Punjab it is from 8am to 5 pm (one hour less). Why?” Kejriwal wanted to know at the end of the voting day. Despite the timings having been announced by the state chief electoral officer a month ago, the AAP objected to it only at the last minute.
{{/usCountry}}Read | Kejriwal tweets Punjab, Goa will make history: What the state polls mean for AAP
FINDING FAULT
The AAP saw a conspiracy in the EVMs not working at many places in the state. He retweeted one Hallagulaboy: “Efficiency and neutrality of EC can be judged from the fact that most of the faulty EVM reports are coming from strongholds of AAP, Malwa.” Later in the day, he retweeted: “Maximum technical glitches in Majithia region (200) says Punjab election commission, polling still on in rural areas.”
Two days ago, Kejriwal took on Punjab Police. “Police checking all over Punjab substantially reduced in the past two days. Free unobstructed movement of alcohol n money,” he tweeted on February 2. “Punjab DGP (Suresh) Arora still taking orders from Sukhbir Badal. Deliberately allowing Badal’s goondas free run,” alleged Kejriwal, retweeting a post that an AAP worker had been shot at by Akali goons.
Kejriwal has been at loggerheads with the EC ever since it pulled him up for asking voters in Goa to “accept money from other political parties but vote only for the AAP”. An FIR was filed against him last month on the EC’s directions.
He asked the poll panel to file an FIR with the “same urgency” against defence minister Manohar Parrikar and Congress leader Amarinder Singh for making similar remarks in Goa and Punjab, respectively.
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