Derecognise Congress as national party: BJP tells EC

Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to derecognise Congress as a national party, accusing it and its vice president Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly violating the model code of conduct.

A party delegation met the Chief Election Commissioner and lodged a complaint against Rahul for allegedly equating BJP government in Chhattisgarh with "thieves and looters" at a rally on November 16.

The delegation led by BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also complained against him for alleging in a rally in Delhi on November 17 that BJP created social tension in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Instead of disassociating itself from Rahul's statements, Congress has actively endorsed his speeches and thus violated the model code of conduct, BJP said.

"He (Rahul) made false, defamatory, derogatory and baseless allegations against BJP...which can create hatred against BJP in the minds of people...," it said.

BJP also accused the Congress leader of spreading a "false and baseless" notion that BJP was responsible for the killing of the then Chhattisgarh Congress President Nand Kumar Patel, who died in a Naxal attack along with several other party leaders on May 25.

The party also submitted copies of advertisements put out by Congress in Madhya Pradesh, which branded its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as "feku (braggart)", asking people to "enjoy his lies" but vote for Congress.

"Congress and its leader are flouting the model code with impunity time and again...Therefore, it is high time that strict action is initiated against Rahul Gandhi and Congress for repeatedly violating model code of conduct...undermining the Election Commission," it said, demanding that the national party status of Congress be withdrawn.