New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has, for the first time, taken cognisance of a model code violation allegation against a sitting Prime Minister. On Thursday, the EC sought responses from the BJP concerning complaints lodged by opposition parties, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of delivering a divisive and defamatory speech, or hate speech, in Rajasthan’s Banswara.
Simultaneously, the poll panel requested the Congress to address complaints filed by the BJP against the party’s president, Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior leader Rahul Gandhi regarding their respective remarks.
In a letter addressed to BJP President J P Nadda, the Election Commission asked for a response by Monday to complaints filed by the Congress, CPI, and CPI (ML) regarding Modi’s remarks made on April 21 in Banswara. Nadda was also urged to instruct all star campaigners of the party to “set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of the model code of conduct in letter and spirit.”
This marks the first time the panel has taken notice of a complaint against any Prime Minister. The Election Commission has invoked provisions of the Representation of the People Act to hold party presidents accountable as the initial step to rein in star campaigners.
The EC sent a similarly-worded letter to the Congress president concerning allegations made by the BJP against him and Gandhi. Although the letters from the EC to the two-party presidents did not directly name Modi, Gandhi, or Kharge, the representations received by the EC were attached to the respective letters, detailing allegations against the three leaders.
In its complaint to the EC, the Congress stated that Modi alleged in his speech that the Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won’t even spare the ‘mangalsutra’ of women.
Modi in his speech alleged that the Congress had joined hands with urban naxals and promised a survey of property, wealth, and gold, including the ‘mangalsutras’ of women, to distribute them among Muslims. He cited former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, stating that the “first right to the country’s resources should go to the minorities.”
An excerpt from Modi’s speech delivered in Banswara reads, “You [Congress] are referring to the grabbing of that [gold and property] in your manifesto…They will take the gold and distribute it to all. When their [Congress] government was there, they had said that Muslims have the first right over the country’s property. Whom they [Congress] will distribute to after accumulating the property? They will give to people who have more children … will your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators… Do you accept it?”
He further accused the Congress party of attempting to take away women’s gold, which he stated was about their ‘self-respect’ and ‘life’s dream.’
The BJP, conversely, had written to the EC accusing Gandhi of leveling malicious and sinister allegations against Modi during a speech in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
The BJP also accused Kharge of violating the model code by claiming that he was not invited to the Ram temple consecration ceremony due to discrimination against SCs and STs.
