NEW DELHI, Nov 14: Even as the Election Commission of India on Tuesday issued show-cause notice to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for alleged disparaging remarks made against the Prime Minister on its social media handle, Mr Narendra Modi called “a Mahagyani” Congress leader the “King of Fools” for “refusing to see” the progress made by the country under his government.
The reference was to the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi who during an election rally on Monday in Madhya Pradesh had said mobile phones in the people’s pockets were “Made in China” and they should rather be “Made in Madhya Pradesh.”
Addressing a rally at Betul on Tuesday, Modi referred to Gandhi’s criticism but without taking his name and said, “A ‘mahagyani’ from Congress yesterday said people of India have ‘Made in China’ phones…moorkhon ke sardar (king of fools)…in which world do they live. They have the disease of not seeing their country’s progress. India has become the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world,” the PM said.
The ECI issued the notice to the AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking to respond by Thursday. The BJP had on November 10 approached the Election Commission (EC) and demanded action against the AAP for posting “very unacceptable” and “unethical” video clip and remarks on a social media platform targeting PM Modi.
A BJP delegation, comprising Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, party national media in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni and party leader Om Pathak, approached the poll panel on the issue. “From its official handle, the AAP has posted a video and two tweets (posts on X) in which it has said very unacceptable, reprehensible, mischievous and unethical things about the democratically elected head of the government,” Mr Puri told reporters after raising the issue with the EC.
In its notice to the AAP, the EC stated, “The national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party is hereby called upon to explain the statements/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 for the state elections and to show cause why appropriate action for violation of model code of conduct read with relevant election and penal laws should not be taken against you.”
“In the event of no response from your side within the stipulated time, it will be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and the Election Commission will take appropriate action or decision in the mater without making any further reference to you,” the poll panel said. Assembly elections are underway in five states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.
(Manas Dasgupta)