‘Modi must be booked for hate speech’: Outrage gets louder against Prime Minister
Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hurled abuses against Muslims while addressing a poll rally in Rajasthan, complaints against him continue to flood the Election Commission Offices in Delhi and various states.
New Delhi/Bengaluru: Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hurled abuses against Muslims while addressing a poll rally in Rajasthan, complaints against him continue to flood the Election Commission Offices in Delhi and various states.
On Monday, over 17,400 citizens had submitted a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking action against Narendra Modi, for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
A day later, over half a dozen organisations met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Karnataka, Manoj Kumar Meena, demanding FIR against Prime Minister Modi invoking penal provisions regarding hate speech and disrupting communal harmony.
They also demanded that in compliance with the laws and guidelines, the Election Commission of India must take immediate action to disqualify Narendra Modi and ban his election rallies for making divisive, hateful remarks against the Muslim community and spreading false information.
“He (Modi) not only made false and provocative statements but promoted dangerous stereotypes of Muslims to incite hatred and garner Hindu votes”, the organisations said in their complaint submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Karnataka.
Responding to civil societies' complaint, Manoj Kumar Meena, CEO Karnataka, said that he can only forward these memorandums and complaints to the ECI since it is not in his jurisdiction.
Upon being told that such hate speeches have ripple effects in the local contexts, with BJP leaders and candidates also inciting hatred against Muslims, he said:
“We are taking action and filing FIRs whenever there is hate speech. It is not in my power to bar any candidate from campaigning. We have also not issued notices to political parties because we have anyway taken criminal action
Complaints against Modi are being registered with the Election Commissions and Police Stations following the Prime Minister’s speech Sunday.
Addressing the BJP workers in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi called Muslims ‘infiltrators’. He also called Muslims ‘those who have more children’.
Referring Muslims ‘ghuspeitya’, Modi accused the Congress party of promising to distribute in its manifesto wealth collected from Hindus to Muslims
In a related development, Qurban Ali, a Journalist, has lodged a police complaint against PM Modi at Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station in New Delhi. A copy of the complaint also has been sent to Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
Earlier, in a petition signed by 2,209 concerned citizens, the Election Commissioner of India was urged to take action against PM Modi.
“The Prime Minister, while campaigning as the [Bharatiya Janata Party’s] Star Pracharak [campaigner], made a speech on April 21 in Rajasthan that has disturbed the sentiments of millions of Constitution respecting citizens of India. The speech is dangerous and a direct attack on the Muslims of India", they said in their petition to the poll panel.
Another letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan, signed by more than 17,400 persons, alleged that Modi had “blatantly violated this code [Model Code of Conduct]” and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, by making a speech “aiming at not only appealing to ‘communal feelings’ but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims”.
The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission that political parties have to follow while campaigning.
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