People complaining about Nitin Gadkari's bribe statement lack sense of humour: BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday said people complaining about Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari's statement on bribing have no sense of humour.

"He (Gadkari) was being sarcastic and said it jokingly. Even the Election Commission has said that in such times such things happen. I think the people who complained do not have any sense of humour and the complaints are bogus," said Swamy.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said if the EC sends any notice to Gadkari, it will be replied to. The Election Commission has sent a show cause notice to Gadkari for an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct committed in Maharashtra's Latur District recently.

In a statement, the Election Commission said, Gadkari while addressing a public meeting in Latur District on Monday, had allegedly induced voters to accept bribes if offered by someone.

The Election Commission said that as per the complaint received from the district election officer of Latur, it found Gadkari's statement to be amounting to abetting and promoting bribery, and deemed it to be violative of the Model Code of Conduct that is in place for the state assembly elections to be held in Maharashtra and Haryana on October 15.

The poll body has asked Gadkari to explain his stand by Wednesday evening.