Assembly Elections 2024: Congress lodges complaints with EC against PM Modi, Shah for 'false' statements, seeks campaign ban

The opposition party has urged the Commission to ban Modi and Shah from conducting any election-related activities for the remainder of the election period, conduct a thorough investigation and direct the registration of a criminal case against those involved in 'BJP's vitriolic and blatantly violative electoral campaign'.

New Delhi: The Congress has lodged complaints with the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of making "false, divisive, malicious and slanderous" statements during their recent election campaign.

The opposition party has urged the Commission to ban Modi and Shah from conducting any election-related activities for the remainder of the election period, conduct a thorough investigation in the matter and direct the registration of a criminal case against all the individuals involved in "the BJP's vitriolic and blatantly violative electoral campaign" in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

In his memorandum to the EC against Modi, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said his party wants to apprise the poll panel of several statements issued by the star campaigner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during an election rally for the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections.

On November 8, Modi, during election rallies in Nasik and Dhule, Maharashtra, made a series of "false, malicious, and slanderous" statements targeting the Congress (INC) and its allies, Ramesh alleged.

In his statements, Modi levelled allegations against prominent leaders of the Congress and former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said.

Modi alleged that the Congress leaders were opposed to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities and Other Backward Classes (OBC), Ramesh pointed out.

"Thereafter, Narendra Modi levelled allegations against the current leadership of the INC and claimed that the INC was opposed to the interests of the SC, ST and OBC communities. In fact, Mr. Modi went to the extent of claiming that INC was actively promoting infighting amongst the SC, ST and OBCs," he said and shared a transcription of the speech.

"The tone and tenor of the entire speech is further evidence of the speaker's intention to create and spread religious and caste-based animosity," Ramesh alleged in his memorandum dated November 13.

Ramesh also cited a speech by Modi on November 12, during his election rally in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, and said the PM "repeated his false and unfounded allegations against the INC and its alliance partners".

"However, apart from the allegations, Mr. Modi yet again made claims and statements, which are directly in violation of the electoral laws and amount to committing offences under criminal law," he said.

In his memorandum to the EC against PM, Ramesh said the invocation of caste references by the BJP star campaigner to gain political mileage is clearly in furtherance of the BJP’s "vitriolic and inciteful campaign intended to promote enmity between communities; tarnish and malign the reputation of the Congress and its senior leadership; and mislead the general public, instigating them to oppose the Congress for being against members of the SC, ST, and OBC communities".

The Congress leader urged the EC to conduct a thorough investigation in the matter and direct the registration of a criminal case against all the individuals involved in "the BJP's vitriolic and blatantly violative" electoral campaign in Maharashtra.

Ramesh also called on the poll panel to pass orders banning Modi from conducting any election-related activities for the remainder of the election period. He urged the commission to pass any such order as deems appropriate and fit.

In his memorandum complaining against Shah, Ramesh said the Congress is constrained to approach the Commission to bring to its attention certain statements made by the BJP star campaigner, and incumbent Union Home Minister, Shah.

These statements are "blatant" in violation of provisions of the Model Code of Conduct as well as extant electoral laws, he said.

On November 12, during an election rally in Jharkhand's Dhanbad, Shah delivered a slew of "false, divisive, malicious, and slanderous statements about the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allies", Ramesh alleged.

According to Ramesh, During his speech, Shah alleged that the Congress and its allies were against Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and promoting terrorism in the country.

"In what has become a common narrative across the BJP's campaign in Jharkhand, Shah has also accused the Congress of planning to take away reservations from members of the ST, SC and OBC communities and granting them to members of a particular religious minority community," the Congress leader said in the memorandum and attached the video containing the statements made by Shah.

"The statements by Mr. Amit Shah have been made with the sole intent of inciting voters on the grounds of religion and caste; in order to consolidate votes and inducing them into voting for the BJP by stoking communal insecurity. To make matters worse, these statements are in wide circulation," he said.

In his memorandum complaining against Shah, Ramesh urged the EC to conduct a thorough investigation in the matter and direct the registration of a criminal case against "all the individuals involved in the BJP's blatantly violative electoral campaign in Jharkhand".

He also urged the commission to pass orders banning Shah from conducting any election related activity for the remainder of the election period.

Ramesh further urged the Commission to pass any such order as it deems appropriate and fit.

Later, in a post on X, Ramesh said, “We have asked @ECISVEEP to investigate BJP and its leaders for their brazen electoral violations. We hope ECI acts on these complaint with the urgency they require.” Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20, while the assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.