Jabalpur: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Apr 16, 2004) asked the Election Commission (EC) not to view the distribution of sarees to mark the birthday of senior party leader Lalji Tandon in which 22 women died in a stampede in Lucknow as a violation of the model code of conduct in the Prime Minister's constituency.

"The distribution of sarees was not aimed at deliberately violating the model code of conduct. The Election Commission should not take stringent measures," BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters in Jabalpur.

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He said the stampede death was "gruesome tragedy".

He evaded a reply when asked about Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's request to Ram Jethmalani to withdraw from opposing him in Lucknow.

To another question, Naqvi said personal and indecent allegations by BJP and Congress leaders against each other must be stopped. "There must be some decency and decorum while criticising each other and party leaders should not stoop to low level marring the fairness of elections."

He said he was confident that BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would be voted back to power.