The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress, alleging it is trying to create an "atmosphere of tension" in the society and spreading lies that the Constitution will be changed. The opposition parties have been persistently claiming that the BJP is seeking more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections because it wants to change the Constitution and end reservation quotas for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar along with BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi and party leader Om Pathak approached the EC. In their complaint, they also mentioned that the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc parties, including the Congress, are uploading and sharing deep fake videos..
BJP mentions deepfake video case in its complaint
Evidently, a doctored video of Union Minister Amit Shah went viral on social media and was subsequent;y shared by some of the opposition leaders. The BJP has been furiously attacking I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders over the issue. The Delhi Police had on Sunday registered an FIR after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C),, filed a complaint in the doctored video case. Accordingly, Delhi Police has summoned 22 people, including Congress leader and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur.
"The Congress and other opposition parties are continuously spreading lies about individuals, policies and the constitutional system. Efforts are being made to create an atmosphere of tension in the society. We brought to the notice of the Election Commission (EC) more than 15 such instances," Trivedi told reporters after meeting the officials of the poll panel here.
In a bid to create hurdles in the conduct of a free and fair elections, this is being done by the Congress and its allies in an "organised manner", he alleged. "The Congress is making such statements and its allies repeat them. And then their social media (units) spread the same lies, confusions and deepfake (videos) in an unlawful manner among the people," Trivedi said. He stated that the poll panel gave a patient hearing to the BJP delegation and assured it of taking appropriate action.
What Union Minister Rajiv Chandrasekhar said?
Talking to reporters, Rajiv Chandrasekhar said, "In the last two phases of the elections, the Congress has consistently depended on a series of political lies that has emerged from as high as Rahul Gandhi to many of its leaders." He further added that the grand old party is pursuing a political strategy based on lies and distortion of facts. They are misleading the people by lying and making them believe that BJP will change the Constitution if it wins the elections.
"The BJP delegation met the Election Commission and alerted it to the challenge that this will pose to free and fair conduct of polls," Chandrasekhar said.
In its memorandum to the Election Commission, the ruling party referred to the speeches of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and the leaders of the other opposition parties when they claimed that the saffron party will change the Constitution and scrap reservation if it retains power.
BJP sought apology from Rahul Gandhi
It requested the poll panel to take a comprehensive view of the “design and pattern” of the Congress’ misleading campaigns and propaganda and take an “effective action” against it to ensure a “fair play” in the election. The BJP through its memorandum demanded and apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
It said, “Direct Rahul Gandhi to tender an unconditional public apology to the nation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making false allegations. Direct registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi under stringent provisions of law.” Moreover, the party added that an "unending tirade" against it is going on unchecked “despite many earlier representations to the Election Commission in this regard”.
(With PTI Inputs)
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