The Congress on Monday moved the Election Commission of India against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks against the party claiming imprint of the Muslim League on its manifesto and allegations of creating conflict and divide across the country.
A four-member delegation of Congress including Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik, Union minister Salman Khurshid, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera and party member Gurdeep Sappal in their memorandum to the election body claimed alleged use of armed forced by the BJP in its advertisements.
Two memorandums were signed by the Randeep Singh Surjewala. In the first memorandum, the Congress criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s insulting remarks against the manifesto calling it a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
“By propagating false, uninformed and vexatious claims, Shri Narendra Modi has attempted to evoke an emotional response from the electorate by using the horrors of Partition, in a bid to polarise voters,” read the memorandum.
The memorandum also stated that the remarks were “nothing out of the ordinary” rather a “concerted effort of arousing communal discord to secure a larger vote share”.
At an election rally in Rajasthan’s Ajmer on Saturday, Modi said the Congress manifesto bears a Muslim League imprint while a part of it is dominated by the Leftists. “.
The Congress, in their complaint to the poll body, said Modi’s remarks “may endanger the wellbeing of supporters of the INC; by making the public believe that the INC wishes to divide India”. “You would have seen, the way Congress released its manifesto yesterday, it proved that today’s Congress is cut off from the aspirations and expectations of today’s India. The manifesto released by Congress reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League during the freedom struggle. The Congress manifesto completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League and the little remaining part, it is dominated by the Leftists. Congress is not visible in this,” said the Prime Minister in his address.
In its sweeping response to PM Modi’s remarks, the opposition party called for “stern and swift” action for his “conduct in raising communal tensions in the Indian society”.
Meanwhile, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge earlier on Monday termed the party manifesto a reflection of the hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion people.
