Assam Cong seeks CEO action against BJP candidate for “threatening” journalist

 

GUWAHATI: 

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has moved the Assam chief electoral officer (CEO) seeking “prompt and necessary action” against incumbent Jagiroad legislator and BJP candidate in the ongoing Assembly election, Pijush Hazarika for threatening a journalist of a city-based media house.

In a memorandum, state Congress president Ripun Bora stated that “Hazarika had threatened a reporter over a telephone call on Thursday with dire consequences for showing a video of his wife, Aimee Baruah, in the news channel, recorded during her election campaign in Jagiroad.

The video of Aimee, who is also an actor, has gone viral on social media during the past few days.

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The APCC president complained that Hazarika, who is also a minister, had used “unparliamentary” words while asking the reporter “to get ready to face the consequences” for playing the video on the news channel.

“The incident has put the public and the voters of Assam in a serious threat since news channels and media houses are said to be the fourth pillar of a democracy. But when a reporter of a renowned news channel can be threatened by an MLA and a candidate of the BJP in such a manner, then what will happen to the common voters if they refuse to take a favourable stand to support BJP,” the APCC chief asked.

Bora further said that the terms used by the MLA in the phone call “have directly aggravated the existing differences between communities of the state and has created mutual hatred, in violation of the Election Commission of India’s Model Code of Conduct for the guidance of political parties and candidates and Section 123 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and Section 171 C of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.”

The APCC chief urged Assam CEO to disqualify Hazarika’s candidature from the ongoing Assembly election and issue directions for filing FIR/complaint against him inter alia under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and Section 171 C of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.