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Journalism of Courage
In the first such action since Lok Sabha elections were announced, the Election Commission on Wednesday directed the Karnataka Chief Electoral officer to take appropriate action as per the Model Code of Conduct against Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje for alleging that people from Tamil Nadu were responsible for the recent blast at a Bengaluru cafe.
The EC forwarded a copy of the complaint it received from DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi earlier on Wednesday and asked the CEO to “ensure that immediate appropriate action may be taken on the complaint in accordance with Model Code of Conduct.” The EC asked for a compliance report within 48 hours.
The DMK complaint alleged that Karandlaje had violated the MCC when she told reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday that “people of Tamil Nadu were behind the Rameshwaram cafe blast, which took place on March 1”.
On Tuesday, the BJP minister triggered a row when she said that “people who come from Tamil Nadu plant bombs here (in Bengaluru), people from Delhi chant ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans and people who come from Kerala were involved in acid attacks”.
“The statement attempts to promote feelings of enmity and hatred between the people of Karnataka and the people of Tamil Nadu, and has been made for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of the Hon’ble Minister. It generalised the people of Tamil Nadu as extremists, and seeks to create hostility and enmity between two communities, i.e., the Tamilians and the Kannadigas,” the DMK complaint said.
The party said the statement was a violation of the MCC provision against aggravating differences or creating mutual hatred between communities and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 section pertaining to “corrupt practices”.
Karandlaje, however, apologised for her remarks later on Tuesday. “To my Tamil brothers & sisters, I wish to clarify that my words were meant to shine light, not cast shadows. Yet I see that my remarks brought pain to some – and for that, I apologize. My remarks were solely directed towards those trained in the Krishnagiri forest, linked to the Rameshwaram Cafe blast. To anyone from Tamil Nadu effected (sic), from the depths of my heart, I ask your forgiveness. Furthermore, I retract my previous comments,” she said in a post on X.
The EC also took action against the unauthorised political advertisements that have not been taken down despite its instructions to the government on March 16, when elections were announced and the MCC implemented.
The EC wrote to the Union Cabinet Secretary and Chief Secretaries and CEOs of States and UTs to immediately remove such advertisements and send a compliance report by 5pm Thursday.
“All unauthorised political advertisements, in the form of wall writings/posters/papers or defacement in any other form, cutouts/hoardings, banner flags etc. were ordered to be removed in a time bound manner from public spaces like railway stations, bus stands, airports…The Commission has been receiving complaints from various quarters alleging that unauthorised political advertisements are still being displayed in many places across the country. The Commission has taken a serious note of the non-compliance/partial-compliance of its instructions and hereby directs all State/UT Governments to immediately remove all unauthorised political advertisements and ensure full compliance of its aforesaid instructions,” the letter said.
