Journalism of Courage
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) using re-runs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at Madison Square as its prime campaign tool on the final day of canvassing for Maharashtra polls, the Congress sprung up an offensive.
Accusing the BJP of misusing Modi’s speech, the Congress Monday complained to the Election Commission arguing that the speech was being aired repeatedly as a BJP ad on local channels in Maharashtra, which votes Wednesday.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, said that while Modi spoke as the country’s Prime Minister at the event, the BJP was using the speech as a campaign tool. Some local channels had aired the half-hour speech during prime time Sunday as an advertisement. The Congress complaints came at a time when BJP had advertised the re-telecast of the same speech Monday too.
“An appeal to vote for the BJP appears along with the party’s symbol as a side bar during the telecast. The BJP had no business to put up the party symbol. This is objectionable,” he said.
The Congress also alleged that the telecast was not branded as a sponsored one by channels. The NCP too has objected to the telecast.
