National Secretary BJP Kisan Morcha and Prabhari Himachal Pradesh Advocate, Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal has made fresh allegations against the City Varanasi administration that its working under the influence of the ruling Samajwadi Party, after accusing the Election Commission of being biased and challenging its neutrality for denying permission to its prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi to hold rallies in Varanasi. In a press statement here today, Grewal alleged that Varanasi District Magistrate Pranjal Yadav, who is also the Returning Officer, of having close links with the top leadership of the Samajwadi Party. He said the primary job of the Election Commission is to ensure free and fair poll. Grewal said but they did not take any action in what happened in Ferozabad, what happened in Bengal and I am making these charge in press with my full sense of responsibility that the Varanasi District Magistrate is closely related to leadership of the Samajwadi Party.
Grewal said that we have also got certain information and, I repeat, about the very close relationships of the District Magistrate with the ruling family of the Samajwadi Party there. It's well known to everybody that this war of words on Thursday between the Election Commission and the BJP erupted after the Varanasi administration denied permission to Modi, who was scheduled to hold several rallies and attend a “Ganga Aarti” at the ghats of city. After a high drama, the Varanasi administration finally gave its nod to the BJP but the party alleged that it came very late. Modi yesterday held a massive roadshow in Varanasi in protest against the Election Commission after one of his rallies in the city was cancelled by the district administration. The roadshow came shortly after the EC slammed the BJP for "disrespecting" the poll panel. "We appeal to senior leaders of parties to display greater maturity when referring to the EC," CEC VS Sampath said at a press conference, called shortly after the BJP held a massive protest in Varanasi over the cancellation of the rally. "We are disappointed that a national party should embark on a protest against the EC," Sampath said, making it abundantly clear that the poll panel was not "scared of anyone - any political party or entity". Reacting to the allegations made against him by BJP, the young Varanasi DM said, “I have only followed rules and I have not taken on anyone. If things are interepeted as such there is little I can do.” Yadav also flatly denied allegations that he has close links with the ruling Yadav family. “My in-laws stay in Patna and I have met Ram Gopal Yadav only once,” the Varanasi DM said.