Market of false promises: BJP slams Cong amid Pawan Khera's dual voter ID row

New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) The BJP on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, calling it “a market of false promises and deception” while addressing the controversy surrounding dual voter IDs held by Pawan Khera and his wife.

At a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi also alleged similar 'historical' irregularities in Sonia Gandhi’s voter registration.

“The Congress party, which calls itself a 'Mohabbat ki dukaan,' is in reality nothing but a market of false promises and deception. Congress party CWC member and media head Pawan Khera was found to have two EPIC cards. Now, his wife, Kota Neelima, who was a candidate in Telangana in 2023, has also been found to possess two EPIC cards...” Ilmi said.

She went on to reference past controversies:

“In 1980, Sonia Gandhi, despite being an Italian citizen, got herself included in the voter list. She became an Indian citizen later, but her name was already on the voter list... When it comes to claims in Bihar, whether it’s Aman Kumar, Minta Devi or Subot Kumar, and those claims turn out to be false, your whistles go silent,” she added.

Her remarks came amid heightened political tension after the Election Commission (EC) issued a notice to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera for allegedly possessing two voter ID cards (EPICs) across two Delhi constituencies.

Khera, whose name appears in both the New Delhi and Jangpura Assembly segments, is accused of violating regulations under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibits dual registrations.

Following the BJP's disclosure, IT Cell chief Amit Malviya expanded the allegations by claiming that Khera’s wife, Kota Neelima, also held two active EPICs, one in Khairatabad (Telangana) and another in New Delhi.

In his defence, Pawan Khera has accused the ECI of being responsible for the anomaly, stating he submitted deletion requests after relocating, but the electoral body failed to act.

--IANS

rs/dpb