EC's decision likely on Sunday on reply sent by Modi

The Election Commission will meet on Sunday to consider the response sent by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the full Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy.
The commission will consider the reply of Modi in which he said his speech was entirely against terrorism and he had not justified the encounter killing of Sohrabuddin.The Chief Minister said the Commission issued the notice to him on the basis of unverified and false media reports.The Commission has also sought from the state election machinery details of Gandhi's speech at Navsari in Gujarat on 1st December, describing BJP government as "merchants of fear and death".In his reply, Modi said though the state unit of BJP had sent separate complaints, no action has been taken by the EC.The full Commission is also leaving for Gujarat on Sunday as the campaign for the first phase of polling on 11th December comes to an end.

"At no point of time I justified the encounter": Modi to EC

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has told the Election Commission that at no point of time he had justified the Sohrabuddin encounter killing and controversy over his election speech was based on "unverified and false media reports".

In his reply to the commission's notice for which he was given some extra time, he said "at no stage, I have controverted the affidavit filed by the Gujarat Government in the Supreme Court of India. I have already clarified my position that I do not support fake encounters".Observing that his speech has to be read in its entirety, he said it was a political response to Congress President Sonia Gandhi referring him as those who rule the Gujarat as a 'Mout-ke-saudagar'."Surely it cannot be policy of the EC first to ignore the violation of the Code of Conduct in her statement and then censor my political response to that statement," Modi said adding his speech was entirely against terrorism."At no point of time, I have either justified the specific encounter of Sohrabuddin's case....," the Chief Minister said seeking withdrawal of the EC notice.The commission giving a notice on Thursday had said by linking the name of Sohrabuddin to terrorism in his speech amounted to indulging in activity which may aggravate existing differences, creating communal hatred and causing tension between different communities.

"When statements are made by political opponents, others are entitled to reply to them. The tone and content of the statement must necessarily adhere to the Model Code of Conduct," Modi said.
Observing that he regarded the EC as a Constitutional authority to ensure free and fair poll, he hoped that it would also defend his right of free speech against "those who have started hate campaign against me".
He said Gandhi during his visit on 1st December had referred to him which suggested that those who were ruling Gujarat as "liars, dishonest and merchants of fear and death".
AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh had visited the state and referred to it as a state which had unleashed "Hindu terrorism," he said, adding though BJP had filed a complaint, no action has been taken against them.
"I am sure the EC will at least now proceed to take action on those reports," the chief minister said.
Noting that problem of terrorism was one of the critical issues in the country, Modi said he believed that UPA and Congress party was indulging in vote bank politics and have sent soft signals on terrorism.
Modi, said his speech was entirely against terrorism.
"I criticised the Congress president for calling me a 'Maut ka saudagar'. I responded that the 'maut ka saudagar' are all those who attacked Parliament," he said.
"I have made a reference to the Sohrabuddin's case and mentioned the allegations against him. I have accused the Congress of suggesting that I have engineered a fake encounter. I said that I am open for any action on this count," the Chief Minister said.

Modi said it was his political response to Gandhi's allegation that he was maut-ka saudagar.

He had replied back alleging that the Congress was helping those who had spread terrorism in the country.
The comments in the media that 'Modi justified murder' or that 'he made confessional statement' as being privy to murder or that Modi declared in the meeting that 'Sohrabuddin got what he deserved' did not find a mention in the CD, he said.
"These are journalistic inventions intended to engineer a 'Hate Modi' campaign and not evidenced in the CD supplied by the EC. My criticism in the media was concocted and engineered by this 'Hate Modi' campaign," he said making it clear that no where in his speech he had referred to the religion of any person.
"Encounters could occur but there should be no fake encounters," he said adding he had nowhere tried to prejudice any pending litigation.