Chandigarh: Manmohan Singh’s appeal in support of Manish Tewari under EC scrutiny

The Chandigarh election department is legally examining a newspaper advertisement by the Congress wherein former prime minister Manmohan Singh is appealing to Chandigarh voters to vote for party candidate Manish Tewari.

The district media certification and monitoring committee on Thursday found that the advertisement included the ”State Emblem of India”, the usage of which is restricted as per rules.

The advertisement, which featured in multiple English and Hindi dailies on Thursday, had former prime minister Manmohan Singh appealing to the public to votes for Tewari.

“Tewari is an able parliamentarian with a deep understanding of the problem of Chandigarh and has a keen interest in national and international affairs. He would be an able representative of Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha. I request the voters to elect him to Parliament as he would serve you with dedication, integrity and compassion”, the message read said.

The advertisement included photographs of both leaders besides the Emblem of India.

Detailing the guidelines, election department said, “As per rules issued by union ministry of Home Affairs, no person (including former functionaries of the government, like former ministers, former members of Parliament, former Members of Legislative Assemblies, former judges and retired government officials), other than those authorised under these rules, shall use the emblem in any manner. By doing so, Indian National Congress Party has violated the model code of conduct.”

Returning officer Vinay Pratap Singh said the matter was being legally examined.

Tewari, however, clarified, “I am a sitting MP and hence I can use the Emblem. Also, the letterhead of former PM Manmohan Singh also includes the Emblem, and we can’t ignore it.”