EC sends notices to BJP, Cong chiefs over Modi, Rahul speeches

NEW DELHI: Setting a new trend to make party presidents accountable for alleged violation of the model code of conduct by their candidates and star campaigners, Election Commission on Thursday issued notices to the chiefs of BJP and Congress seeking their response to alleged violations made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

EC sought their replies by Monday morning.

Though the EC notice didn’t mention the names of PM Modi and Rahul, saying it has received representations alleging violation of poll code by “some of the star campaigners” in speeches made during poll campaigns, complaints against them have been attached with the notices sent to BJP president J P Nadda and his Congress counterpart Mallikarjun Kharge. While Congress has complained against the PM, BJP has lodged a complaint against Rahul seeking action.

Congress had complained against Modi’s speech at Rajasthan’s Banswara over the weekend, in which he said the opposition party plans to “redistribute wealth to infiltrators” and made a reference to Muslims. It had also complained about Modi referring to the Congress manifesto as one with “Muslim League imprint” and alleging that the party plans to divide the country should it win the elections. Congress listed five instances of MCC violations.

In its complaint against Rahul filed last week, BJP alleged that Congress had made “derisive and obnoxious” utterances against the PM. Besides, it had also cited instances of Rahul’s speech in Kottayam (Kerala), in which he said, “... how can you tell the people of Tamil Nadu not to speak Tamil (and) the people of Kerala not to speak Malayalam... BJP does this with language, place, caste, and religion... whenever they get an opportunity, they divide the country...”

The EC notices and orders available on its websites show that on two earlier occasions — in separate cases involving Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and party MP Randeep Singh Surjewala — the Commission had informed Kharge of action ordered against the duo while asking the party to take steps for “strict compliance of” its advisories. Sources said the same approach was followed in case of transgressions by BJP’s Dilip Ghosh, with the poll body informing Nadda of the action ordered against his colleague.

The notices issued to Nadda and Karge on Thursday are on different footing in that the EC has not taken any action yet against Modi and Rahul.

The EC notices to BJP and Congress presidents have been issued as per Section 77 of the Representation of People Act, which allows parties to name “star campaigners”. It said, “...the Commission is of the considered view that political parties will have to take primary and increasing responsibility for the conduct of their candidates in general and star campaigners, in particular.” The EC also said campaign speeches by those holding “high positions are of more serious consequence”.

While mentioning that parties have the power to nominate/withdraw ‘star campaigner’ status of their leaders as well as the authority to control them, the EC said, “The Commission has taken a view that while a star campaigner would continue to remain responsible for speeches made, the Commission will address party president/head of political party, on a case-to-case basis.”

The two-page notice also said that star campaigners are expected to contribute to a higher quality of discourse by way of providing an all-India perspective which sometimes gets distorted in the heat of the contests at the local level. The EC said it is of the “considered view that parties will have to take primary and increasing responsibility for the conduct of their candidates in general, and star campaigners in particular”.