NEW DELHI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks in an election rally in Rajasthan on Sunday sparked a huge row, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday declined to comment on it.
“We decline to comment,” a poll panel spokesperson said on queries related to the Prime Minister’s speech on Sunday in Banswara, Rajasthan.
PM Modi on Sunday suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims.
The Congress urged the Election Commission to take action against PM Modi for his ‘redistribution of wealth’ remarks, alleging they were ‘divisive’, ‘malicious’ and targeted a particular religious community.
A delegation comprising Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Gurdeep Sappal met Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and put forward 16 complaints and memorandums against the BJP and others for alleged violations of The Representation of the People Act, 1951, various judgments of the Supreme Court, and the Model Code of Conduct.
Singhvi told reporters that he discussed in detail some complaints out of the 16 made to the EC and the most objectionable were the remarks made by the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister has to be held accountable by the ECI for the brazen trampling of the Model Code of Conduct as well as the whole gamut of offences- electoral and otherwise- committed by him and his party,” the Congress said in a representation, adding inaction by the poll panel in the matter will tarnish its legacy.
They alleged that Modi was using religion to ask voters to refrain from voting for it and was making false and defamatory statements against the Opposition party and its leaders.
The Congress delegation submitted 16 complaints against the BJP and sought immediate action against the ruling party. They also complained about the fresh appointments to UGC even when the election period was underway.
It alleged the statements by Modi “made it clear that he has made false and divisive insinuations, targeted at a particular religious community and a clear provocation to the general public to act out and breach the peace, potentially against such a religious community”.
It also alleged that the PM has tried to “mislead” the voters by making “false and unverified allegations, which he knows to be untrue”.
They said he has also accused the party that led India’s struggle for freedom and which is also the principal Opposition Party in Parliament, the Indian National Congress, of supporting terrorists and terrorism.
“If this Hon’ble Commission fails to rise to the challenge of upholding the law in the face of these defiant, deliberate and brazen violations being committed by the PM and his party, the Hon’ble ECI risks tarnishing its legacy and abandoning its Constitutional duty by setting a precedent of helpless inaction that will go down in infamy,” the Congress memorandum to ECI said.
Among the 16 complaints was the representation against an order passed by the Returning Officer, Surat Parliamentary Constituency, cancelling the nomination of Nilesh Kumbhani on the grounds that his proposers claimed that they were coerced to nominate Kumbhani.
The Congress also raised the issue of the BJP’s alleged “continued use of religious figures (Lord Ram) and Places of Worship (Construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya) in its political advertisements”.
The Congress sought an inquiry into Doordarshan News in light of its decision to change the colour of its logo to saffron during the elections period, a colour that is universally associated with the BJP in Indian politics. Opposition leaders also slammed PM Modi for his comments. In a post on X, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said while the Prime Minister’s remarks are atrocious, the silence of the Election Commission is worse.
“This is atrocious! The silence of the Election Commission is more atrocious!! Modi’s inflammatory speech is a gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct and Supreme Court pronouncements on Hate Speech,” Yechury said.
Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale also appealed to the people to write to the Election Commission over Modi’s remarks.
In a post on X, the TMC Rajya Sabha MP shared the email id of the Chief Election Commissioner, and urged people to write to him, stating that the poll panel does not listen to the Opposition.
“The Election Commission ignores the Opposition and has kept giving a free pass to Modi and the BJP. During elections, the EC is not accountable to political parties. But - they’re accountable to the people of India,” Gokhale said.
Launching a strong campaign over the Prime Minister’s alleged communal remarks against its manifesto, the Congress said on Monday that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge has sought an appointment with Narendra Modi to “educate him” about its poll promise document.
The AICC general secretary in-charge of the organisation K C Venugopal also said copies of the manifesto would be sent to the Prime Minister by its party leaders and Lok Sabha candidates.
He said the Congress party will also file a petition against Modi before the EC with the signature of one lakh people.
“This is a blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct. This was a public call to incite violence and divide the people of the country,” Venugopal charged.
He said the Prime Minister resorted to such “low-level tactics” after he understood that the first phase of the election, which was over, was not favourable to them.
Hitting out at PM Modi, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said political discourse has never sunk to such a low in India’s history and urged the Election Commission to take action in the matter.
“After the PM’s speech, crores of people will be disappointed. Probably no other Prime Minister has given such a statement since 1950. The speech points out that our minorities who have been living in India for years are infiltrators. What kind of politics is this,” Sibal said at a press conference here.
“What kind of culture is this? You talk of Ram Mandir, inaugurate the temple, talk about Ram’s ideals and on the other hand, you spread hate. Where is ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’,’’ he said.
Sibal said that he was deeply disappointed with the remark because he respects the post of the Prime Minister and the person sitting on it.
“But when the PM is not worthy of respect, then the intellectuals of the country should come forward,” he asserted. Sibal also questioned RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s silence on the remark.
“We oppose the RSS and will do so in the future but I also know that the RSS has not taught these things to Modi, it is not their culture. Where has this come from,” the former Congress leader asked.
Sibal said that the Prime Minister talked about wealth at a time when over 40 per cent of the country’s wealth is in the hands of one per cent of the population. Sibal said he wanted to ask the Election Commission why it had not taken any action on Modi’s speech.
“You (EC) should condemn this statement, give notice to Modi, direct channels to not repeat this and file a case under IPC 153A. The Election Commission should not forget that it has sworn on the Constitution. If they violate that and stand with such speeches, it will neither be good for them nor the country,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
“The Congress and particularly Manmohan Singh never had the intention that the country’s wealth goes to one community. They always strived that the SCs, STs, deprived, minorities are uplifted,” the former minister in the UPA government said.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) also launched a direct attack on the Prime Minister over his comments.
Sharing a clip of PM Modi’s speech, SAD (B) spokesperson Parambans Singh Romana posted on X, “Venom and hate at another level. Btw India is supposed to be a “Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic.” The fault with all of us is that we think of injustice only when it happens against us. If it is them today it will be us tomorrow. Shameful and very disturbing!”.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also termed Modi’s remarks as “anti-national” and urged the EC to take action against him.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, claimed that Modi’s remarks were an indication that the BJP was on a sticky wicket.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said it is “disheartening” when a senior leader like PM Modi makes such comments.
Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) MP Sanjay Singh claimed that Modi’s remarks showed that he has realised he is losing the Lok Sabha elections immediately after the first phase of the polls.
with agency inputs