The BJP on Tuesday raised the issue of objectionable comments by opposition leaders, including Tamil Nadu minister Anitha Radhakrishnan, against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the lack of action against him, as it urged the Election Commission to take stringent measures on its own against poll code violations.
A BJP delegation flagged the “differing” approaches of poll officials in various states to similar infractions by politicians and claimed that not much is done against the errant leaders in states like Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. All these states are ruled by the BJP’s rival parties.
A BJP delegation, including Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and its general secretary Vinod Tawde, met the poll watchdog to highlight this “discrepancy”.
Opposition leaders are continuously “abusing” PM Modi and denigrating women power and Indian culture, Mr Tawde told reporters later.
The poll process has just started and the EC should take “suo moto action” against any violation of the poll code, he said.
He said while action was recommended against Union minister Shobha Karandlaje, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Karnataka, for her controversial comments against Tamils, objectionable remarks of a Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader have not drawn any censure.
In this context, Mr Tawde also highlighted Shiva Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s comparison of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Mughal king Aurangzeb, considered by many a religious zealot.
While action was called for in the case of Shobha Karandlaje, poll officials are seen to be having a different stand in other states, he said.
“We urged the Election Commission to take stringent action at the right time and we were assured that it will look into the issue,” he said.
BJP leaders Om Pathak and Sanjay Mayukh were also part of the delegation.
The BJP’s written submission to the EC was in reference to Radhakrishnan’s alleged use of profanities against the prime minister during an election rally.
The party demanded that the poll body bar him from the campaign and direct the DMK leader to tender an apology. An FIR should also be registered, it said.
Its complaint also highlighted the alleged insult of Indian culture and personal attacks by DMK leaders, including former Union minister A Raja. Raja had said that Tamil Nadu will never accepts phrases like Bharat Mata and Jai Shri Ram, the BJP noted.
