The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday took notice of alleged Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The poll panel sought the replies from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress by 11 am on April 29.
The ECI invoked section 77 of the Representation of the People Act and held party presidents responsible, as a first step, to reign in star campaigners. The MCC allegations against PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi are exchanged with BJP president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as a first step.
The political parties will have to take primary and increasing responsibility for the conduct of their candidates, star campaigners in particular. Campaign speeches by those holding high positions are of more serious consequences, said the ECI.
The Election Commission asked the BJP to respond to complaints filed by opposition parties wherein they have accused PM Modi of delivering a divisive and defamatory speech in Rajasthan's Banswara.
The poll panel also asked the Congress to respond to complaints filed by the BJP against the main opposition party's president Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi regarding their respective remarks.
In its letter addressed to BJP president JP Nadda, the Election Commission asked him to respond by Monday to complaints filed by the Congress, CPI and CPI (ML) regarding the remarks made by PM Modi on April 21 in Banswara.
It also asked Nadda to bring to the notice of all star campaigners of the party to "set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of model code of conduct in letter and spirit".
Officials said it is the first time that the panel has taken cognisance of a complaint against any prime minister. It wrote a similarly-worded letter separately to the Congress president with regard to allegations levelled by the BJP against him and Gandhi.
The letters from the EC to the two-party presidents did not directly name either PM Modi, Gandhi or Kharge, but the representations received by it were attached to the respective letters and they contained details of allegations against the three leaders.
In its complaint to the EC, the Congress said that PM Modi in his speech had alleged that Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won't even spare the 'mangalsutra' of women.
The BJP, on the other hand, had written to EC that Gandhi levelled malafide and utterly sinister allegations against PM Modi during a speech in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
It also accused Kharge of violating the model code by claiming that he was not invited to the Ram temple consecration ceremony due to discrimination against SCs and STs.
(Input from agencies/reporter)
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