Poll panel gives clean chit to Stella Maris for Rahul event

CHENNAI: Chief electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo on Monday said the Election Commission has given a clean chit to

Stella

Maris College in Chennai for inviting

Congress president Rahul Gandhi

on March 12 for an interaction with students even when the model code of

conduct

was in force.


“The district

election

officer has given a report to the chief electoral office stating that the college had received proper permission before inviting Rahul Gandhi to the college. The report clearly mentions the college has not violated any model code,” said Sahoo.

Three days after Rahul’s visit to the college, the CEO had sought a report from the

Chennai district election officer

based on a complaint by the legal wing of the state BJP. The state directorate of collegiate education too had sought a report on the conduct of a ‘political event’ at Stella

Maris

college when the model code of conduct was in place.

Soon after Rahul addressed college students and replied to their questions on various issues, videos of the interaction went viral. Several state BJP leaders have been criticising Rahul’s interactive session with students. The director of collegiate education R Sarumathi directed the Chennai regional director to conduct an inquiry.

BJP youth wing president Vinoj P Selvam filed a complaint with the CEO against the Congress leader for using the premises of an educational institution. He accused Rahul of using the platform to level accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.