Assembly Election 2023 Highlights: Rahul Gandhi calls PM Modi 'panauti' after India's World Cup loss to Australia, BJP hits back

Assembly Election 2023 Highlights: Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva for “derogatory” posts about Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the party’s official social media handles.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: November 22, 2023 10:23 AM IST

2 min read

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a public meeting ahead of Rajasthan Assembly elections, in Vallabhnagar, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Assembly Election 2023 Highlights: 21 November: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Balotra, Rajasthan, took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to him as “Panauti Modi”, news agency PTI reported. Alluding to India’s loss in the Cricket World Cup final, which was attended by the PM, Rahul said, “PM means ‘Panauti Modi'”. The word panauti is associated with bad luck. The Congress leader further said Modi “comes on TV and says ‘Hindu- Muslim’ and sometimes goes to a cricket match. It is a different matter that the match was lost. Panauti.” “PM means Panauti Modi,” he said. Slamming Rahul’s remarks as “shameful and disgraceful”, the BJP demanded an apology from the Congress leader. “Rahul Gandhi must apologise…else we will make this issue very serious,” former Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva for “derogatory” posts about Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the party’s official social media handles. The EC said it was of the view that the posts on the Delhi BJP Facebook and X handles were prima facie in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, which prohibits parties and candidates from making unverified allegations against others. The EC asked Sachdeva to explain the statements by 8pm on Thursday. The Aam Aadmi Party had on November 16 submitted a complaint to the EC about the Delhi BJP posts that it said were an “ugly attempt to tarnish the image” of Kejriwal.

In other news, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, CM Ashok Gehlot, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara and party leader Sachin Pilot, along with others, launched the party’s election manifesto for Rajasthan Assembly elections to be held on November 25, in Jaipur today. The party has promised up to Rs. 2 lakh interest-free loan for farmers, a law to guarantee MSP as per the Swaminathan report, a caste census in the state, and an increase in the a amount of amount of ‘Chiranjeevi Health Protection Insurance’ among others.

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