The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken note of the complaints of alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The poll panel forwarded the complaints to BJP President JP Nadda and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge seeking their response by 11 am on April 29.
The elections commission has directed the presidents of both the parties to convince their star campaigners to set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of the MCC in letter and spirit. Stating that the status of a ‘star campaigner’ statutorily lies entirely within the realm of the political parties under Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, it said political parties would have to take a primary responsibility for the conduct of their candidates in general and star campaigners in particular.
In its notice to the BJP President Nadda, Senior Principal Secretary of the ECI Narendra N Butolia said, “I am directed to forward a copy of the representation dated April 21 made by Indian National Congress, representation dated April 23 made by Communist Party of India and representation dated April 21Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation with the direction to send comments to the Commission latest by 11 am on April 29.”
The Congress, in its complaint against the PM, wrote, “On Sunday, the PM addressed a public rally of electors at Banswara, Rajasthan. We have objections to the entire tone and tenor of the PM’s speech. We wish to highlight the completely unprecedented and malicious allegations as well statements which are clearly aimed at creating enmity between groups, far worse than any ever made by a sitting PM in the history of India. This cannot go unchecked, unanswered and unpunished.”
The PM, while addressing the rally, had alleged that “the Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom – Manmohan Singh’s government had said Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets.”
In the notice to Congress President Kharge, the senior principal secretary said, “I am directed to forward a copy of the representation dated April 19 made by the BJP with the direction to send comments to the Commission latest by 11 am on April 29.’’
The BJP, in its complaint filed with the poll panel, accused Rahul Gandhi and Kharge of violation of the MCC. It claimed that Gandhi, in his speech on April 18 in Kottayam, Kerala, said, “…If a daughter graduates from university, her parents congratulate in Malayalam. When a brother loses the other brother, he communicates in Malayalam. Thus, Kerala is Malyalam, Malyalam is Kerala.”
“I get surprised when I hear the PM giving speeches where he says one nation, one language, and one religion. How can you tell people of Tamil to not speak Tamil, people of Kerala to not speak Malayalam, people… Every single Indian language is as important as any other language. BJP does this with language, place, caste and religion. Whenever they get an opportunity, they divide the country…”