Patna, June 20: The Election Commission today banned chief minister Nitish Kumar's pet Badh Chala Bihar programme, as the model code of conduct is in force for the July 7 Legislative Council polls in 24 seats.
The programme seeks public opinion on Vision Document 2025.
Though Nitish and JDU leaders described the initiative as the government programme aimed at involving the people in making long-term plans for Bihar's development, the BJP described it as Nitish's publicity gimmick in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
Former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav had lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission, saying that the model code of conduct was in force and as such, the Nitish government should be disallowed to carry on such a programme to influence the voters.
Sources in the Election Commission confirmed that it had clamped a ban on the programme in the light of ongoing Legislative Council poll process.
"The commission has banned the Badh Chala Bihar campaign launched by the state government ahead of the Council polls. The programme may influence the voters," a senior official of Bihar Election Commission told The Telegraph, preferring anonymity.
Under the banner of information and public relations department, Nitish launched the programme on June 9 with much excitement to highlight the government's past 10 years of work. While launching the programme, Nitish had said the programme was not related to elections and was purely being done to seek people's suggestions to make a document vision.
Earlier, information and public relation department minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary expressed his apprehension that the BJP leaders were trying to put hurdles in the way of the programme. He clarified that there was no violation of model code of conduct.
"It was programme aimed at connecting the people and the government. It sought opinion from the people. It is not that we would take electoral benefit from the vision document. Whoever forms the government would be able to get the benefit from this document based on the interaction with the people," said Chaudhary, while interacting with the media at Soochna Bhavan today.
However, after the Election Commission ban on the programme, the other JDU leaders sharply reacted to it and demanded a ban on the visit of BJP national president Amit Shah and other central ministers to take part in the yoga session on International Day of Yoga tomorrow.
JDU secretary general and national spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said: "The Election Commission in Bihar, under the model code of conduct, put a stop on the ongoing programme but at the same time, Yoga Divas organised by the central government's Ayush department is being organised across the nation. The BJP national president, accompanied by other party functionaries and half-a-dozen central ministers, are visiting Bihar in a clear violation of the model code of conduct."
He added: "The International Day of Yoga would commence with an address by the Prime Minister, which is categorically an attempt to influence voters. We request the Election Commission to immediately ban the visit of Amit Shah and other central ministers."
Both Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav welcomed the Election Commission's decision and said they had been telling that the programme was aimed to influence voters at a time when the model code of conduct had been imposed.
