Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh was on Sunday slapped with a notice by Election Commission for mode code of conduct violation days after a video footage allegedly showing him distributing cash during a poll meeting in Rajasthan was aired by television channels.
The three-member Commission headed by N Gopalaswami asked Singh to reply to the notice by 5 pm on Tuesday.
The EC move came on a complaint filed by the Rajasthan Congress unit which said that the former Union Minister violated the model of conduct by distributing money to people in Gagaria village in Barmer district from where his son Manvendra Singh is contesting Lok Sabha polls.
The EC had earlier said it will look into the video footage of the rally.
Singh had contended that it was his duty to help the poor and that he had not violated the model code of conduct.
Singh and BJP MP from Tonk Lok Sabha seat Kailash Meghwal were accused of handing Rs 10,000 to a woman and distributing food packets among people in alleged violation of the model code of conduct at Gagaria village, where he had gone to campaign for his son.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was also recently slapped with a notice after party workers were seen giving away money on Holi at his native place but the leader had claimed that it was a tradition to give away money during festivities.
