BJP Adverstisement Creates Flutter; Incurs EC's IRE

Taking strong exception to BJP's advertisement on beef in some vernacular dailies in Bihar on Wednesday, the Election Commission has issued notice to the party seeking explanation. Our attention has been drawn to the said advertisements published by BJP in Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur editions of some newspapers, Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Laxmanan said. These advertisements are against the EC's instruction to political parties and newspapers, he added.
Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey has been served a notice seeking an explanation over the said advertisement, Laxmanan said.
The BJP advertisement had questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence on repeated insult to cows by grand alliance leaders as the animal is revered by the countrymen and asked had asked him to come clean on the issue and stop playing vote bank politics. The advertisement also asked the Chief Minister whether he agreed with the remarks on beef eating by his friends from alliance partners, including Lalu Prasad and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of RJD and Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader S Siddaramaiah.
Earlier in the day, a grand alliance delegation comprising JD(U) general secretary K C Tyagi and Congress spokespersons R P N Singh and Ajoy Kumar met the EC in New Delhi, alleging that the advertisement amounted to seeking votes in the name of religion in the fifth and last phase of polling on Thursday in 57 seats.