EC notice on star campaigners’ speeches: BJP, Congress seek more time

As per EC sources, BJP replied to the EC before the deadline, seeking one week’s time to respond. The Congress on Monday morning first asked the EC till 5 pm to respond, and later sought 14 days time, sources said. The EC is yet to take a decision on the requests by parties for additional time and could do so on Tuesday, sources said.

In a departure from its own practice so far, the EC decided to issue notices to the party presidents instead of the leaders concerned, Modi and Rahul, for alleged MCC violations.

In the case of the PM, the Congress, CPI and CPI(M-L) had complained about his speech in Banswara, Rajasthan on April 21, where he referred to Muslims as “infiltrators”. In the case of Kharge, the EC forwarded the BJP’s complaint against Gandhi and Kharge himself for violating the MCC.

The BJP had alleged that Rahul tried to create divisions among linguistic groups, while it also objected to Kharge alleging that BJP had not invited President Droupadi Murmu to the Ram Temple consecration because she was from a Scheduled Tribe.

“…the Commission has taken a view that while the star campaigner will continue to remain responsible for speeches made, the Commission will address party president/head on case-to-case basis,” the EC notices said.