NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kerjiwal for alleged disparaging and insulting posts against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on micro-blogging site ‘X’.
Acting on the complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the ‘malicious’ and ‘misleading’ remarks, the poll body has asked the AAP to reply by Thursday evening. The eight-page notice states that the tweets prime facie violate the model code of conduct (MCC) and provisions of election and penal laws.
“The national convenor of AAP is hereby called upon to explain the statement/ allegations/ averments, made in the alleged social media posts under reference, against a star campaigner of another national party and against the political party and by insinuation and innuendo against the candidates ..and to show cause by 19: 00 hours of November 16, 2023 as to why appropriate action for violation of MCC (r/w) read with relevant election and penal laws should not be taken against you,” read the notice.
A delegation of the BJP comprising Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, party national media in-charge and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni and party leader Om Pathak approached the poll panel on the issue.
According to the notice, the two tweets in question containing ‘animation, caricature and modified content’ create a narrative that the Prime Minister is supplicating before the founder and chairman of the Adani Group Gautam Adani.
In the notice, the Commission stated that it had issued advisories on occasions to political parties and candidates to maintain dignity in election campaign, desist from transgressing the ‘limits of decency’, refrain from attacks on the personal character and conduct of political rivals as they can vitiate the level playing field.
“The MCC is not just avoidance of a direct violation but also prohibition on attempts to vitiate the electoral space through suggestive or indirect statements or innuendoes and consequently the democratic processes or harm public tranquillity,” the notice also states.
No immediate response was available from the AAP. The assembly elections are in progress in five states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.
The EC has also cautioned the AAP that if no response is received in the stipulated time, it would initiate appropriate action and take a decision ‘without making any further reference to you’.
Separate notice to Priyanka
The Commission on Tuesday also issued a separate show-cause notice to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for allegedly making “unverified and false statements” against PM Modi. She was also asked to respond by November 16.
"Whereas, public generally believes that the statements made by the senior leader that too of a star campaigner of a National Party, are true, it is expected that such a leader is privy to and possesses factual base of the statements made by him/ her . You must have verified the facts as stated.... so as to not leave any possibility of misleading the voters," states the notice.
The alleged statement was made during a public rally in Sanwer assembly in Madhya Pradesh. Vadra reportedly said that Prime Minister Modi had given away public sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) “to his big industrialist friends”.
