With every opinion poll predicting a drubbing for the Congress in the Assembly elections, the party has officially announced its decision to keep away from TV debates on opinion polls.
Surveys done by various agencies are predicting a Congress debacle in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.
The Congress spokesperson has on Friday said that the party will not depute speakers to participate in opinion poll debates in various TV shows.
The Opposition BJP had attacked the Congress for behaving like a “loser”. What has come in handy to the Congress is the Election Commission of India’s letter to all the political parties.
The EC had last week sent out a letter to parties seeking their views on prohibiting the conduct and dissemination of opinion polls from the date of notification of the polls. Now, the amended Representation of the People Act bans the publication of exit polls.
Also, opinion polls are banned on the electronic media for 48 hours before the end of the polls.
EC now suggests to shift the goal post and ban opinion polls altogether after the notification of the polls, during the peak campaign period. The Congress party has readily endorsed the EC’s stand on the ban on opinion polls. And extending the logic of supporting the ban, the party has decided not to skip the TV shows.
Rahul’s reply
Meanwhile, the Congress has submitted party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s response to the Election Commission’s notice on his speech on Muzaffarnagar riots.
V. Sampath, Chief Election Commissioner, told reporters that he has received Rahul’s response and it is under examination.
In an eight-page response, Rahul has denied violating the model code of conduct. Rahul defended his statements made on Muzaffarnagar riots.
He had said and that Pakistani spy agency ISI was taking advantage of the Muzaffarnagar situation by trying to recruit victims of the riots.
He had also attacked the BJP for indulging in the politics of hatred.