Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have once again come under fire for the content of their election campaign speeches. Both of them are said to have violated the Moral Code Of Conduct. This is not the first time this accusation is being made against the BJP this election season. From putting photographs of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman on campaign posters to the Mission Shakti announcement, the BJP has been toying with the lines of the Election Commission guidelines very early on in the campaigning phase.
Recently, Modi has been accused of violating the Moral Code Of Conduct by making divisive statements.
While campaigning in Wardha, Maharashtra, on Monday 1 April, Modi said, “The Congress used the term 'Hindu terror'...it labelled peace-loving Hindus as terrorists...is there a single incident of Hindu terrorism? The people will never forgive the Congress for this insult.”
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, while addressing a rally in Ghaziabad, UP, referred to the Indian Army as "Modi ji ki sena". The remark drew flak from defence officers and the Election Commission has asked for a factual report from the District Election Office (DEO), for portraying the defence forces as belonging to one political party.
On Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, Modi said that the Congress is “orced to take refuge in places where the majority is in a minority” because it is ‘scared of Hindus’.
"The Congress insulted Hindus. People have decided to punish it in the election. Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is in a minority.”
While some said Modi’s speech violated MCC by making divisive appeals, others condemned him for his ‘divide and rule’ tactics.
EC Guidelines
It is pretty clear that this violates the EC guidelines banning divisive appeals on caste/religion, said journalist Sreenivasan Jain.
Twitter users also quoted the law that states that no party or candidate should indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences between different castes and communities.
One Twitter user said the speech not only violates MCC, but also falls in the ambit of ‘corrupt practices’ under Section 123(3) of the Representation Of People Act.
“You might find a dominant British strain in Modi’s DNA,” said one Twitter user. “Only they had this pathological sickness called ‘divide and rule’,” he added.
Politics Over Religious Demography Condemned
General Secretary of Congress KC Venugopal said Modi’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in Wayanad is “rooted in his lack of knowledge on its history and his frustration on looking at the imminent defeat.”
He went on to cite examples of the oldest Maha Vishnu temple in Wayanad that dates back to the Sangam age and freedom fighter ‘Pazhassi Raja’ who also hailed from the Wayanad.
Another Twitter user said that instead of trying to prove that the Hindus are a majority in Wayanad and get defensive, one must raise the issue of religious demography.
One Twitter user asked as to what was the problem if Wayanad is a Muslim majority constituency? “Aren’t Muslims citizens of this country?” they asked.
Hindu-Muslim Narrative
Journalist Abhisar Sharma said Modi will stick to the Hindu-Muslim narrative to shift accountability and delude voters.
Sadhavi Khosla, who had volunteered with the BJP's information technology cell but quit in 2016, tweeted that this speech is not surprising and the BJP narrative for 2019 is “Nationalism, Nationalism and more Nationalism with a tadka of Hindu-Muslim’.
Former diplomat KC Singh said Modi has become a free flowing communal ‘Spigot’.
'Hindus Not Terrorists'
Twitter also condemned Modi’s “Congress labelled Hindus as terrorists” statement.
Journalist Maneesh Chibber said Hindu terror wasn’t coined by the Congress. “In fact, Maharashtra ATS, under the BJP government in 2018, charge-sheeted several Hindus for terrorist acts,” he tweeted.
According to The Telegraph, Modi invoked the word ‘Hindu’ 13 times during his speech in Maharashtra. The BJP has drawn flak in the first phase of campaigning itself not just for its divisive speech but the failure to talk about real issues and disregard for the Moral Code Of Conduct. One can only wait and see what the following phases of campaigning will bring.
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