EC asks K'taka BJP to provide evidence of allegations made against Cong in newspaper advt

The Election Commission on Monday issued a notice to the Karnataka BJP to provide ''verifiable and traceable'' facts by Tuesday evening regarding its newspaper advertisement that described the Congress as ''the most corrupt party in the world''.

The Congress had approached the poll panel against the advertisement issued by the BJP's Karnataka unit.

In its notice to the BJP Karnataka president, the Election Commission (EC) said criticism of the policy and governance of opponent parties is a right guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution as well as an essential function of various political actors under India's electoral process.

''However, while exercising this right and performing this essential function, the various political parties are expected to uphold high standards of public discourse and adhere to the various provisions of the model code and relevant laws,'' it said.

The commission has directed the state BJP to ''convey the verifiable and traceable facts'' regarding the claims made in the advertisement given by them along with an explanation, if any, by 8.00 pm on May 9 and also put that in ''public domain''.

Earlier, it had issued a similar notice to the Congress for its ''corruption rate card'' advertisement.