Mayawati, PM Modi speeches under Election Commission lens

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission is set to issue a notice to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati over “communal remarks” she allegedly made at a rally in Deoband, said people with knowledge of the matter.

The commission has also sought the transcript of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in which he exhorted first-time voters to dedicate their ballot to those who died in the Pulwama terrorist attack and those who took part in the Balakot offensive against Pakistan. The Opposition has alleged that this violated the model code of conduct.

The EC issued a notice on Wednesday to Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao over supposedly communal references following a complaint filed by the state president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The poll panel had cautioned Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath last week over calling the Indian Army “Modiji ki Sena”.


Mayawati had reportedly called on Muslims to consolidate their vote behind the Samajwadi Party-BSP alliance and not to split it by supporting the Congress party. “I want to make an open appeal — it is not the Congress but the alliance which is fighting the BJP,” she said.

UP CEO Sent Report
“The Congress wants to ensure that the alliance does not win. The Congress is trying to help the BJP in this election,” Mayawati had said.

The chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh had submitted a report on the statement to the EC after seeking the speech transcript and the Saharanpur district magistrate’s report to assess whether Mayawati’s comments violated the model code of conduct.

The PM’s references, political parties alleged, violated the EC’s recent advisory to desist from referring to defence matters for political campaigning and propaganda.

“Will you dedicate your vote to the brave men who conducted Balakot airstrikes, to the CRPF men who lost their lives in Pulwama attack?” Modi reportedly asked first-time voters at a rally in Maharashtra.

The CPI(M) has already taken up the matter with the EC.

“With deep anguish we are drawing your attention to the latest violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” CPI(M) politburo member Nilotpal Basu said in the letter to the EC. “He is also violating the specific direction of the Election Commission to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes.”