Cong activists demand FIR against Sunny Deol, file fresh complaint

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 16

A day after the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee of Gurdaspur issued ordered to include Rs 1,74,644 in the election expenditure of the BJP candidate Sunny Deol, Himanshu Pathak, vice- president, Punjab Pradesh Congress Commitee, today held a press conference demanding an FIR against Deol.

A formal complaint in this regard had first been made by Himanshu Pathak to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on May 6, alleging that a sponsored Fanpage was garnering support for the BJP’s Gurdaspur candidate actor Sunny Deol on the Facebook.

In his complaint Himanshu had alleged that the actor did not post the details of the particular Fanpage in his formal affidavit filed with the ECI, the page is hence running in violation of the election code of conduct.

Addressing the mediapersons Pathak, said: “I demand immediate action against Sunny Deol. He should be booked under the Section 420 of the IPC for cheating the ECI and voters of the country and further inquiry regarding the use of black money and foreign hand should be probed. The nomination of Sunny Deol should be cancelled with immediate effect.”

Pathak alleged that advertisements were still running from the Fanpage without any approval or further adding the expenses to Sunny Deol’s accounts.

He said he had given another complaint regarding this to Chief Election Commissioner of India on May 16, adding that he also submitted a copy of the same to the CEO Punjab K Raju in this regard.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Punjab, Dr S Karuna Raju has already said the ECI has issued orders on Wednesday to add Rs 1,74,644 in Sunny Deol’s election expenditure (as per the report by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee, Gurdaspur) based on the Congress activist’s complaint.

The CEO had stated a letter which was issued to Deol three days ago to which there had been no reply so far. The CEO also confirmed that the Fanpage was being run without any intimation to the ECI, hence been presumed as an advertisement.

Notably, the ECI has also been issuing similar notices to other candidates in the state after complaints of their poll expenses exceeding stipulated norms or exorbitant expenses being made in violation of the ECI norms.