EC issues notice to BJP and Congress over PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi’s speeches

On Thursday, the Election Commission of India issued a notice for violation of the Model Code of Conduct to the BJP President, J.P. Nadda, with regards to the complaints lodged by the opposition parties, Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist). 

According to officials from the Election Commission, this marks the first instance where they have acknowledged a complaint regarding the model code of conduct against a sitting prime minister.

The notices came days after Narendra Modi’s comments at an election rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday. In that alleged hate speech, the prime minister implied that the congress aims to distribute the land and gold of the citizens to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”. The complainants claimed that these statements went against the rules of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the Indian Penal Code’s provisions on hate speech.  In this speech, the prime minister not only attacked Cogress’s manifesto but also Manmohan Singh’s 2006 speech saying that the former PM said that Muslims have the first right to the nation’s wealth. While Dr. Singh’s statement was about helping all marginalized groups, Modi specifically highlighted his focus on Muslims.

Opposition leaders targeted Modi over the comments. Kharge described the comments as “hate speech” and criticized Modi for diminishing the respectfulness of political discussions. Other leftist parties and civil society organizations have also condemned the prime minister’s remarks as “divisive and disrespectful.”

The BJP was not the only party that received a notice, The Election Commission also sent a notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, requesting a response to complaints filed by the BJP against him and the party’s leader Rahul Gandhi. These complaints are about comments they made in their campaign speeches recently. The Election Commission included the complaints filed by the BJP along with the notice sent to Kharge. The complaints accused both him and Rahul Gandhi of breaking the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during a speech in Kottayam on April 18. They alleged that false accusations were made against the PM, suggesting that PM Modi had advocated for a ‘one nation, one language, and one religion’ policy. Additionally, the notice mentioned Kharge’s comments to a publication, where he reportedly stated that President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to the Ram Temple consecration ceremony because of her Scheduled Tribe status.

The Congress, which lodged the main complaint against the PM’s remarks, pointed out that the Election Commission’s decision to send the notice to Mr. Nadda rather than the Prime Minister was significant. Jairam Ramesh, Congress’s general secretary, highlighted this, saying that the Election Commission tends to be “super, super cautious” when dealing with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. He emphasized that Congress expects the Commission to act fairly and issue notices whenever necessary. Ramesh reiterated that the Election Commission exercises extra caution when handling matters involving the Prime Minister, emphasizing the need for impartiality in its actions.

 The Election Commission clarified that although party presidents will be addressed individually, the star campaigners will still be held accountable for their speeches. The commission has also asked for responses from PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi by April 29, 11 am.