Facebook campaign: Congress accuses BJP of violating poll code

Panaji, March 15 (IANS) The Congress demanded Saturday that two people associated with the Goa chief minister's office (CMO) be sacked for campaigning for the BJP on Facebook in violation to the model code of conduct.

Addressing a press conference at the party's state headquarters in Panaji, spokesperson Durgadas Kamat said a formal complaint has been made to the chief electoral officer for Goa against Siddharth Kunkolienkar, joint secretary, CMO and Giriraj Pai Vernekar, special assistant to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

"They have been appointed as officers on special duty and given these designations in the CMO. They are drawing a salary from the state exchequer, which is public money. They cannot be allowed to campaign for a political party under code of conduct," Kamat told reporters.

The complaint also has photocopies of the Facebook walls of both the officials. Both profiles showed the official exhorting their followers to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We have demanded they should not be allowed to hold office till the polls," Kamat said.

In another complaint filed before the chief electoral officer, the state Congress has accused Parrikar of violating the code of conduct by making a policy announcement Friday promising 50,000 jobs on his Facebook page.

"Goa's investment policy will be notified by end of this month. The policy targets to create 50,000 jobs and facilitate Rs.25,000 crore of new investment into the state in next five years. Major emphasis will be laid ensuring that Goan girls and boys are trained to become employable," Parrikar said in a post uploaded Friday night.

"Promising jobs is a clear violation of the model code of conduct. This has clearly been done to lure voters. We have demanded a censure against the chief minister by the election authorities in our complaint," Vijay Bhike, Congress leader told the press conference.