- Tuesday, April 30, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
The opposition Indian National Congress on Tuesday (9) asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to initiate immediate action against prime minister Narendra Modi and many other leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly violating the model code of conduct and provisions of the Representation of Peoples Act 1951 ahead of the elections in the southern state of Karnataka.
In a complaint letter, Congress parliamentarian Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also in charge of the southern state that went to polls on Wednesday (10), mentioned about a video message that was posted from Modi’s Twitter handle besides live interviews of other BJP leaders aired on a television news channel after the ‘silence period’.
My message to the people of Karnataka… pic.twitter.com/DvFGl952OV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 9, 2023
“The Election Commission of India must take immediate note of this and initiate appropriate proceedings against Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Amit Shah, Shri JP Nadda, Shri Yogi Adityanath and the BJP party,” the letter read.
If Prime Minister flouts electoral laws & code of conduct for elections with impunity, brazenly and in utter disregard of #ECI directives,
If Prime Minister refuses to so much even recognise the authority of Law and the ECI directives,
If Prime Minister flouts the “silence… pic.twitter.com/sBG6YYdpSz
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) May 9, 2023
“It may be mentioned that if convicted under Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, these leaders will stand disqualified from their respective membership in the parliament as well as the legislative assembly,” it added.
Surjewala, who shared the complaint on social media, said in a strongly worded statement that the poll commission faces a “litmus test” over Modi’s alleged disregard for electoral code of conduct.
As per the ECI, the 48-hour period before the polling is called “the silence period” when no advertisement, without the poll authorities’ certification, and campaign can be undertaken.
The video was also put up on Modi’s personal Twitter account in the morning of Tuesday, a day before the election and allegedly violated the model code of conduct.
Making a strong pitch for the return of the BJP to power in Karnataka a day before the polls, Modi on Tuesday said the affection he has received in the southern state over the last few days has been unparalleled, and it strengthened the resolve to make it the best across all sectors.
In the video, he was heard saying, “The affection I have received in the state over the last few days has been unparalleled, and it has strengthened the resolve to make it number one across all sectors.”
Karnataka is the only state in southern India where the saffron party has been in power.
South First reported that no action was initiated by the ECI against the prime minister after more than 12 hours after the videos were posted on social media.
When the news outlet contacted the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Karnataka, officials said they were examining the video.
“We are examining the video put up by the prime minister on his personal Twitter account. We are seeking more clarification from the chief election commissioner (CEC) on this,” additional CEO Venkatesh Kumar R was quoted as saying by South First.
India’s former chief election commissioner TS Krishnamoorthy told the news outlet that it has been clearly stated that no campaigning should be undertaken by the political parties during the silence period as it leads to violation of the model code of conduct.
ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಮತದಾರರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರಗಳು,
ಮೇ 10 ರಂದು ತಾವು ದಯಮಾಡಿ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಹಸ್ತದ ಗುರುತಿಗೆ ಮತ ನೀಡುವುದರ ಮೂಲಕ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷಕ್ಕೆ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ ಮಾಡಾಬೇಕಾಗಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯ ಮಗನಾಗಿ ವಿನಂತಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ.#ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್_ಬರಲಿದೆ_ಪ್ರಗತಿ_ತರಲಿದೆ pic.twitter.com/0yLglCSxI5
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 9, 2023
However, while the Congress moved the ECI accusing Modi of violating the electoral laws, its own national president Mallikarjun Kharge reportedly did the same by posting a campaign video on his social media accounts, seeking votes for the grand-old party.
“In a bid to provide social justice to all the communities, Congress has made five guarantee promises in its manifesto,” he said and listed out all the five guarantees that his party has promised ahead of this election.
