EC warns BJP and Congress against campaign that divides communities or spreads misinformation

In identical directives to both the BJP and the Congress, the Election Commission on Wednesday came down heavily against divisive and damaging speeches made by their star campaigners including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

In orders to BJP President JP Nadda and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, the EC gave a stern warning and asked them to tell their star campaigners to refrain from violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and make statements that are either misleading or create mutual hatred or tension between different communities.

Among various points of violation of the MCC, the most flagrant violation pointed out in the Congress’s complaint was in the PM’s speech in Banswara, Rajasthan on April 21 in which he had said that the Congress, if voted to power, will distribute the nation’s wealth to Muslims whom he had likened to “infiltrators” and “those who produce more children”.

The EC told the BJP that it had been served notices against such speeches but in the ruling party’s response to the EC notices, a generic assertion was made that its star campaigners never made statements that were either not based on facts or targeting specific individuals. In fact, the EC pointed out that the BJP defended the campaign methods of its star campaigners, including the PM, against which notices had been served on them.

“Regarding the allegations against the star campaigners and the alleged statements made in their public campaign speeches, it is noted that there is no explicit denial of this fact in your response...your replies dwell at length to stoutly defend the campaign methods and utterances of your star campaigners while making a case for action against INC, the political party that complained against you,” said the EC.

EC pointed out that instead of perceiving the EC notices as a “red flag” against such utterances, the BJP campaigners continued to make statements that were violative of the MCC.

“The utterances of the concerned star campaigners follow patterns and create narratives which can be damaging beyond the MCC period… The Commission directs the BJP and all concerned to follow MCC in general and directs all your star campaigners to refrain from making any statement which is prohibited in Clause(1) of the General Conduct of MCC which provides that no party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing difference of create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic,” said the EC.

For the Congress President, the EC had similar instructions.

The Commission cited various instances of violation of MCC by Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had, in different speeches, asserted that the BJP insults the people of Tamil Nadu and the discourse on ‘one-nation-one-leader-one-language has no space for people of Bengal, Karnataka or Manipur. The BJP also mentioned speeches in which Gandhi said that the saffron party would change the Constitution. The ruling party also complained against a speech in which Gandhi alleged that the BJP did not invite President Droupadi Murmu for the Ram Temple inauguration because she is a tribal.

The Commission asked the Congress President to direct its star campaigners to ensure that they do not make any statements that give the impression that the Constitution would be abolished. “(The Commission) directs you to remain dutiful towards the special responsibility of the star campaigners of the party and issue formal notes of caution to maintain decorum in their utterances,” said the EC