The Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) on Monday sought the Election Commission (EC)’s intervention for stopping Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s references to the armed forces in the election campaign.
Congress leaders Kapil Sibal, Jairam Ramesh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and K Raju submitted a memorandum to the poll watchdog on their party’s behalf. They sought the EC “urgent and necessary intervention” against Modi for mentioning the armed forces in his election speeches.
“We, the undersigned have been compelled to bring to your Hon’ble Commission’s attention another alarming and brazen violation of electoral laws by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on April 21st 2019, which calls for immediate exercise of this Hon’ble Commission’s powers...,” read the memorandum.
Modi spoke about national security at an election rally in Rajasthan on Sunday and referred to issues like Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s release from Pakistani captivity.
Watch | Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Big fights to watch out for in Phase 3 of voting
He said India warned Pakistan of serious consequences if it harmed Varthaman, who was captured after a dogfight between fighter jets of the two countries on February 27. The dogfight came a day after India carried out an airstrike on a terror camp in Pakistan in retaliation to the February 14 car bomb attack that left 40 paramilitary personnel dead in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.
{{/usCountry}}He said India warned Pakistan of serious consequences if it harmed Varthaman, who was captured after a dogfight between fighter jets of the two countries on February 27. The dogfight came a day after India carried out an airstrike on a terror camp in Pakistan in retaliation to the February 14 car bomb attack that left 40 paramilitary personnel dead in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.
{{/usCountry}}Modi said India is not afraid of Pakistan nuclear weapons anymore and added Islamabad must remember that New Delhi’s nuclear arsenal is not for Diwali fireworks.
In a separate memorandum CPI (M)’s general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, reminded the EC that it had spoken about taking cognisance of Modi’s speech in Latur. It said Modi had “called for a vote in the name of Pulwama martyrs” there and added the EC was yet to take any disciplinary action. The CPI (M) said Modi’s continued “violations” go against the grain of preserving the sanctity of the EC’s guidelines.
“The brazen, reckless invocation of armed forces, armed action and then threats of nuclear war, as something that is a partisan political act he would push for and something on the basis for which a vote is sought, in our opinion, even further compromises the integrity of the electoral process as laid out by the Election Commission.”
The Congress has also filed several other memorandums, including one against defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
“The defence minister went to vote and the moment she came out she said, ‘Ab ki baar Modi sarkar’. The defence minister should know that this is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. You cannot carry out sloganeering outside poll booths; we have told the EC that the ruling party does not care about the EC. If the PM and his cabinet colleagues behave this way, then what is the message that goes out to voters,” Sibal told reporters.