Highlights of EC order indicting Varun Gandhi

The Election Commission Sunday found Varun Gandhi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee for the Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh, guilty of violating the model code of conduct by creating "feelings of enmity and hatred" between different communities.

The Election Commission on Sunday found Varun Gandhi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee for the Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh, guilty of violating the model code of conduct by creating "feelings of enmity and hatred" between different communities.

HT Image

Indira Gandhi's grandson and the late Sanjay Gandhi's son, Varun Gandhi has been at the centre of a raging storm since Tuesday with a criminal case filed against him for his alleged anti-Muslim inflammatory remarks.

Following are the highlights of the Election Commission order asking the BJP to drop him from the list of candidates:

The commission considered the speeches (by Varun Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit constituency) as a grave violation of the provisions model code of conduct.

The commission strongly condemns and censures Feroze Varun Gandhi.

Varun does not deserve to be a candidate at the present general elections.

The commission cannot impose disqualification on Varun Gandhui and debar him from contesting elections unless he is convicted or held guilty by a competent court of law.

The commission would be keeping a close watch on the progress in the investigation and would also be taking all legally permissible steps for the expeditious trial of the matter till it reaches its logical conclusion.

The commission expects that the BJP will deny the party nomination to Varun Gandhi as its candidate.

Any sponsorship of his candidature by the BJP, or any other political party at this election would be perceived as endorsing his unpardonable acts of inciting violence and creating feelings of enmity and hatred between different classes of citizens of India.