Chandigarh: Anil Masih campaigning for Sanjay Tandon, says Congress; BJP terms it ‘lie’

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, May 7

Lok Sabha election battle heated up in the city after the Congress today accused nominated councillor Anil Masih, who as the returning officer for the Mayor polls had defaced eight votes polled in the favour of the AAP, of “aggressively campaigning” for BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon.

To avoid any further controversy and embarrassment, it was also alleged that the BJP — in its daily election schedule — addressed Masih as Anil Kumar, a reference person for an event held in a Sector 19 church yesterday.

“I along with other fellow Christian community members attended this event that was addressed by Tandon. But, we were shocked to see the person, who murdered democracy, was sitting inside a room, where Tandon later visited. When we came to know about it, we raised lodged a protest. In the melee, I was even pushed by a BJP member. The event was organised by Maish, who has been deliberately mentioned as Kumar,” said Cornelius Jordan, former general secretary of BJP minority morcha. Jordan today joined the Congress in protest.

As per BJP’s daily election schedule that has gone viral, Masih has been mentioned as a reference person along with his contact number for another event held at Sector 41 church in front of Krishna Market at 11 am on April 28. However, in another copy of the same schedule shared later, his name and phone number were omitted, while names of other contact persons of 18 events for that day were not deleted.

Sharing copies on X, Congress Lok Sabha candidate Manish Tewari wrote, “This is hilarious. Sanjay Tandon’s internal programme says that Anil Masih the ‘great paragon of Democracy’ who rigged the Mayor elections is the organiser of programme No 5 (Picture 2), but the schedule that was released to the media (picture 1) omits his name. These surreptitious liaisons are characteristic of the duplicity of the BJP Chandigarh.”

Chandigarh Tribune tried to contact Masih through phone call and texts, but he did not respond.

Asked, BJP city president Jatinder Pal Malhotra said, “It all has been invented by the Congress. It is all a lie. They (Congress) have made duplicate copies of our events. And, even if Masih participates in some (BJP) programme as a Christian community member, what is wrong in it. The Congress is trying to hurt the sentiments of the community.” Tandon also dismissed allegation as false.

Congress city president HS Lucky said, “His (Malhotra) assertions of we fabricating (BJP programme schedule) are laughable. If this is the case, then is their (former) team member Jordan also lying? Why would he lie about his community that too in a church?”

Masih, who was former general secretary of BJP minority morcha, had tendered an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court for his conduct after the court had overturned the Mayor poll result by declaring INDIA bloc’s Kuldeep Kumar as Mayor instead of BJP’s Manoj Sonkar.

CONG MADE DUPLICATE COPIES OF OUR EVENTS

It is all a lie. They (Congress) have made duplicate copies of our events. And, even if Masih participates in some (BJP) programme as a Christian community member, what is wrong in it. — JP Malhotra, BJP city president