Congress seeks EC action against PM Modi for remarks linking it with terrorism

The prime minister, the Congress said, “tried to mislead the voters by making these false and unverified allegations and made a desperate attempt to falsely tarnish the sacrifices and legacy of an almost 140-year-old party with an unmatched record of public service and sacrifice, all for the sake of petty political gains in the ensuing Karnataka Assembly elections”.

“There is no nuance here and the PM, while making these claims, is clearly aware of what he is trying to achieve to malign, defame and perpetuate falsehoods against the Indian National Congress,” the Congress said in its petition and also referred to its complaints against Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

“Yet, despite repeated representations and two delegation visits, to ask the ECI to act, absolutely no action has been taken against these offending individuals and the BJP. Obviously it leaves an unmistakable impression that this Commission is either unwilling or helpless in acting against those occupying the citadels of power,” the complaint by Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala said.

Arguing that the cardinal maxim of every democracy is that “howsoever high you may be the law is above you”, the Congress said “the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and their colleagues have to be held accountable by the ECI for the brazen trampling of the Code of Conduct as well as the whole gamut of offenses—electoral and otherwise—committed by them. If this Commission fails to rise to the challenge of upholding the law in the face of these defiant, deliberate and brazen violations being committed by the PM and his colleagues, the ECI risks tarnishing its legacy and abandoning its Constitutional duty by setting a precedent of helpless inaction that will go down in infamy.”

The Congress said the prime minister’s remarks were violative of various provisions and sections of the Representation of People Act 1951, the Model Code of Conduct, Indian Penal Code and the EC’s past instructions. The complaint cited several sections of the Act, MCC and the IPC, which Congress claimed the prime minister had violated with his remarks.

“The blatant and brazen nature of these violations makes one thing clear—that the Prime Minister knows that the Commission is either helpless or unwilling to take action despite its clear constitutional obligation to act under Article 324 of the Constitution of India. Neither of these scenarios is flattering and if the Commission sleeps over this unprecedented violation, it will have allowed its authority to have been severely undermined and demonstrated that it is no longer the institution that can enforce its constitutional duties,” the Congress said.

“In light of the gravity of the offences, we call upon the Commission to exercise its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and treat this matter with the urgent attention it deserves and initiate action against Narendra Modi…,” it said.