Kirron Kher submits reply to EC, says no reference to anyone

CHANDIGARH: BJP candidate Kirron Kher on Tuesday, submitted her reply on a show-cause notice issued to her by the EC on a complaint submitted by the Congress party for using the word ‘Railgate’ in BJP’s poster.
Kirron in her reply submitted “The use of the word ‘railgate’ in this particular sentence does not even remotely amount to criticism of any individual………no direct or indirect reference to any individual is borne out from the sentence objected to by the complainant.”
Confirming the development, MC additional commissioner Anil Kumar Garg, nodal officer for the model code of conduct, said they have received Kher’s reply.
The EC had issued a show-cause notice to Kher on May 6 and had sought her reply within 24 hours. The Railgate scam was linked to Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew. In the scam, Bansal was given a clean chit by investigation agencies and now he is a prosecution witness in the case.
The Congress, in its complaint had submitted that Kirron Kher in her Twitter and Facebook posts, while referring to the need of monorail in Chandigarh had stated— “Also because Kirron Kher is not interested in Railgate”.
The Congress complaint stated, “The word Railgate is maliciously used to defame former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, though he has been given clean chit by the relevant investigative agencies in the alleged case……In fact, he has been made a prosecution witness in the alleged case.”
The Congress termed it a violation of model code of conduct and sought directions to Kirron Kher to withdraw her statement publically. The Congress also demanded to debar Kirron Kher from contesting and campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections.
Kirron Kher last month had posted a poster proposing monorail over Metro, which read, “because Kirron Kher is not interested in Railgate — vote for honesty not corruption.”