Congress has suffered a crushing defeat in the assembly elections held in Maharashtra. After the defeat, on Monday 25 November, Congress accused IPS officer Rashmi Shukla of violating the code of conduct and demanded action from the Election Commission. Party spokesperson Atul Londhe has claimed that former state DGP Rashmi Shukla met the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and this meeting took place at a time when the Model Code of Conduct was in force and votes were being counted in the state.
Rashmi Shukla had met Fadnavis at his official residence on the evening of 23rd November, on the same day the counting of votes was taking place. Atul Londhe has called this meeting a violation of the code of conduct and has demanded action against Rashmi Shukla. Rashmi Shukla has been in the headlines for quite some time now. Earlier this month, other political parties including Congress had complained against him to the Election Commission.
Election Commission should take action against Rashmi Shukla
Following the complaint by political parties, the Election Commission had directed the Maharashtra government to transfer Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla with immediate effect. The Election Commission had directed the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to hand over the charge of Shukla to the next senior most IPS officer of the cadre. While talking to the media, Congress spokesperson said that Rashmi Shukla has violated the code of conduct, hence the Election Commission should pay attention to this and take immediate action against her.
Atul Londhe raised questions
During this, Atul Londhe cited a similar incident in Telangana, where a DGP and a senior officer had met a minister during the elections and the Election Commission had taken immediate action against them. He questioned why the Election Commission is quick to take action in non-BJP states but appears to turn a blind eye to such violations in BJP ruled states. This raises serious questions.
There are many allegations against Rashmi Shukla
Referring to the previous allegations against Shukla, Atul Londhe said that there are many serious allegations against Rashmi Shukla including tapping the phones of opposition leaders. Congress had demanded his removal from the post of DGP during the elections and he was removed. He said the Election Commission should ensure accountability and take immediate action against Shukla for violating the code of conduct.