EC sends notice to BJP over poll speech violations; why not to PM, asks Congress

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Taking cognisance for the first time of a model code violation allegation against a prime minister, the election commission on Thursday asked the BJP to respond to complaints filed by opposition parties wherein they have accused PM Narendra Modi of delivering a divisive and defamatory speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara.

At the same time, the poll panel also asked Congress to respond to complaints filed by the BJP against the main opposition party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge and its senior leader Rahul Gandhi regarding their respective remarks.

In its letter addressed to BJP president J P Nadda, the EC asked him to respond by Monday to complaints filed by the Congress, CPI and CPI(ML) regarding the remarks made by Modi on April 21 in Banswara. It also asked Nadda to bring to the notice of all-star campaigners of the party to ‘set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of model code of conduct in letter and spirit.’

Niranjan questions EC’s move

G Niranjan, vice president chairman of the Election Commission Coordination Committee of Telangana Congress, said that he has written a letter to chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar expressing surprise over EC giving notice to BJP president JP Nadda but not to prime minister Narendra Modi.

“This shows that the Election Commission is hesitant to take action against Modi. This is proof of the biased attitude and this attitude of EC has damaged the reputation and credibility of the ECI,” Niranjan said in the letter.

‘Multiple representations given to EC’

This is the fourth letter the Congress leader has written to the commission. In the previous letter, he questioned the meaning in having MCC during elections, if the EC doesn’t enforce them by punishing those who are breaking it.

The first letter, Niranjan said, was written on April 17 for the Nalbari public meeting in Assam attended by PM Modi and the second letter on April 22 for his election speech in Rajasthan.

“It is condemnable that the EC is turning a blind eye when PM Modi is targeting a religion by giving speeches inciting religious hatred in each of the election campaign meetings being held from Nalbari in Assam on April 17. Speaking in Agra, Uttar Pradesh yesterday too, he adopted the same line,” Niranjan added.

‘Why are only government officials being punished?’

He said that even though there are nationwide protests against PM Modi’s religious hate speech and the EC is receiving thousands of petitions, the commission is still not willing to act.

Mentioning speeches made by other BJP leaders, he said that on April 25, in Siddipet, Telangana, ‘home minister Amit Shah told in an election rally that Muslim reservations would be abolished if they come to power,’ which is against the election code.

“Why is the Election Commission, which is taking action against the erring officials for making mistakes and transferring them, unable to take action against Modi who is in the position of PM and violating MCC,” Niranjan said.

‘EC is helpless puppet’

Other Congress leaders too voiced their opinion alleging EC’s inaction. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said the EC seeking a response from the BJP instead of PM Modi on the opposition charge showed that it is a ‘helpless puppet’.

In a post on X, Sibal said, “Election Commission(EC): No 'lal ankh' to Modi. Seeks BJP's response for Modi's openly communal utterances. Shows that EC: helpless puppet; dare not send notice to Modi; ignorant of its own MCC; exposes itself to ridicule. (sic)”

Sibal, a former Congress leader who is an independent MP in the Rajya Sabha, alleged that the poll watchdog had ‘defected’ to the BJP.

The Congress had on Thursday claimed that public pressure forced the EC to issue the notice. The EC is ‘super, super cautious’ when it comes to the prime minister, Congress general secretary in-charge Jairam Ramesh had said.