EC slaps notice on Modi, Rahul over violations

NEW DELHI: Taking cognisance for the first time of a model code violation complaint against a prime minister, the Election Commission on Thursday issued a notice to BJP president JP Nadda on the Opposition charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a divisive speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara.

Separately, the poll panel also issued a notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, asking him to respond to the complaints filed by the BJP against him and the main opposition party’s senior leader Rahul Gandhi regarding their remarks.

This marks a departure from the past, where notices of alleged MCC violations were served directly to the candidate or star campaigner concerned.

In the notice sent to Nadda, the Election Commission sought his response by Monday to the complaints filed by the Congress, CPI, CPI (ML) and civil society groups regarding the remarks made by Modi on April 21 in Banswara.

These complaints had referred to Modi’s allegations that the Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won’t even spare the ‘mangalsutra’ of women.

The speech led to a major political slugfest with the Congress and other opposition parties accusing the prime minister of making false claims and the BJP alleging that the Congress was nursing an agenda of Muslim appeasement at the cost of weaker sections of the society.

The EC 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”. The poll panel also said that campaign speeches made by those holding high positions have more serious consequences.

Officials said it is the first time that the panel has taken cognisance of a complaint against any prime minister.

This is the first time the EC has taken cognisance of a model code violation by a PM