The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Modify campaign song: Poll body to AAP, red-flags ‘lyrics, visuals’
THE OFFICE of the chief electoral officer (CEO) Delhi has raised objections to the lyrics and visuals used in the AAP Lok Sabha poll campaign song ‘Jail ka jawaab hum vote se denge’.
In response to AAP’S application seeking permission to use the song and video, as is procedure, the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) of the office raised objections and asked the party to make changes to its song and resubmit it for certification. The application was submitted on April 25; the reply was received Saturday.
The AAP, however, alleged the body was trying to ban the song following a complaint from the BJP. The BJP, on its part, said the song was launched without the poll body’s approval.
Addressing a press conference, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi claimed: “The BJP has now used its other weapon, the Election Commission of India, against us. First, it arrests Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a false case with a motive to stop him from campaigning for the polls. Now,itisplottingtostopourcampaignsong.thisisshocking...”she said the party would submit its response to the commission.
In a press release, the Office CEO Delhi said, “During the review and scrutiny of the advertisement submitted by the Aam
Aadmi Party, the Media Pre Certification Committee headed by the Joint Chief Electoral Officer made certain observations regarding the advertisement with reference to various provisions/ guidelines stipulated by ECI. The said advertisement was returned along with the observations with the request to modify contents of the creative... The applicant was also informed that in case they do not agree with the decision of the Committee, they may file an appeal before the State Level MCMC under the Chairmanship of Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi.”
Officials also said that the song had not been banned
An officer from the CEO office said on condition of anonymity that other parties, including BJP and Congress, had also been asked to make changes to their advertisement campaigns. “A party has used images of places of worship and of the Armed forces. Another had unsubstantiated allegations or names of leaders from a different political party and we asked them to make changes. We are following rules set by the ECI; the rules are the same for all,” said the officer.
Written and sung by AAP leader Dilip Pandey, the rap number was launched by senior leaders Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai and others on Thursday.
Thebjp’scomplaint,signedby Brijesh Rai, office secretary of Delhi BJP, reads, “... your kind attention for immediate intervention is brought to the illegal and... mala fide act of Aam Aadmi Party for creating, publishing and propagating uncertified video song, titled ‘Jail Ka Jawaab Vote Se’ with the sole ill-intention of tarnishing theimageofthendagovernment and its other leaders...”
Reacting to the AAP’S claims, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said: “AAP leaders are masters in playing the victim card... it launched the campaign song without approval of Delhi’s CEO...”