Congress demands BJP apology over 'false' Masood complaint

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) The Congress Sunday wrote to the Election Commission demanding a public apology from the BJP for criticizing it and its Saharanpur nominee Imran Masood over a purported anti-Narendra Modi speech which, it said, was made last September when he was a Samajwadi Party member.

It said the "manner in which BJP rushed" to complain to the poll panel over Masood's speech "would reflect that it is only to malign Congress by making distorted and unverified statement" in violation of the model code of conduct.

It said the Bharatiya Janata Party complaint regarding Masood "has been deliberately made to hit and malign Congress Party and its candidate(s), which has also been given wide publicity in the media".

It said that the BJP had themselves violated the model code by "making false, distorted and unverified statements of facts in public domain".

It said in the letter that the "video of some statement of Imran Masood is dated Sep 18, 2013 when he was in SP. Even the exact contents of the statement are yet to be verified. Moreover, it is also stated that a person namely, Sher Singh standing by the side of Masood, in the photograph has died long back. However the matter is still under investigation," the letter said.

Masood was arrested early Saturday for his hate speech against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Modi.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Saturday had during an election rally in Saharanpur condemned the language used by Masood, saying it does not reflect the Congress' thinking.