PM Modi poll speech on ‘Congress distributing wealth to Muslims’ draws ire; EC stays mum

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Following the controversial comments made by prime minister Narendra Modi in his poll speech in Rajasthan, many Opposition leaders and civil society members have urged the Election Commission (EC) to take action against PM Modi.

On Sunday, PM Modi said in his public speech that if ‘Congress comes to power, it will distribute people’s property, land and gold among Muslims.’ The PM was allegedly quoting former PM Manmohan Singh’s saying that the minority community had the first claim on the country’s resources.

The EC on Monday declined to comment on remarks made by PM Modi in his poll speech. “We decline comment,” a poll panel spokesperson said on queries related to the prime minister’s speech on Sunday in Banswara, Rajasthan.

Comments about PM Modi’s speech soon flooded social media with #hateSpeech gaining traction on X (formerly Twitter) with many seeking EC’s intervention.

The Congress filed a complaint with the EC against PM Modi for ‘making false statements and unverified allegations’ against Congress. The complaint said, “…we (Congress) 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 Prime Minister in the history of India. This cannot go unchecked, unanswered and unpunished.”

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, along with other Congress leaders, also addressed the media on the issue. “We respect the office he (PM Modi) holds. He is as much our PM as yours or the BJP. The higher the position he holds, the more the obligation he holds to exercise restraint. Unfortunately, the statement he quoted, is seriously objectionable. We can never expect this from the PM. We would pray to him with folded hands to withdraw these comments and clarify,” he said.

Civil society organisations such as the Human Rights Forum in Hyderabad wrote to chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar seeking timely intervention by ECI, stating that ‘PM Modi’s speech constitutes a blatant violation of the Representation of the People Act and the Model Code of Conduct.’

with inputs from PTI