NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday moved the Election Commission (EC) against the BJP government over the alleged misuse of state resources for the poll campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing its campaigns such as ‘Modi Parivaar’ and ‘Modi ki Guarantee.’
The CPM also wrote to the EC seeking “stern action” against the BJP and Prime Minister for engaging school children in an election campaign in Coimbatore in violation of the poll body’s directives.
A delegation of Congress leaders, including Mukul Wasnik, Salman Khurshid and Supriya Shrinate met the EC and handed a clutch of complaints about the violations of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls, demanding immediate action.
In its memorandum, the party lodged a complaint against the BJP’s “false advertisements” invoking the 2G allocation issue and alleged that the party was pursuing a decade-old narrative that had been thoroughly discredited through a comprehensive judicial process. The party prayed for the removal of the advertisement and action against its authors and publishers.
Another complaint sought the removal of all images of the PM from government bodies, offices, petrol stations for the duration of the elections as these violate multiple safeguards in the election law.
In a separate complaint, the Congress sought the removal of ‘Modi Parivaar’ advertisements, alleging that State resources are being misused for a veiled campaign.
“The brazen use of the armed forces violates multiple directives of the EC. The fact that the Ministry of I&B is being compelled to produce and broadcast the same also needs to be addressed. We seek the removal of the advertisement and action against the guilty parties,” it said.
Another complaint is registered against an unsolicited letter being circulated on social media purportedly from the PM himself. The Congress also demanded action against the BJP’s advertisements on the Delhi Metro with the tagline “Modi ki Guarantee” and removal of such advertisements.
Meanwhile, in a letter to the EC on Wednesday, the state secretary of CPIM of Tamilnadu, K Balakrishnan, said students of a private school were instructed to be present during the PM’s roadshow in Vadavalli. He said involvement of children was in violation of the EC’s guidelines.
The CPM’s complaint stated that students who participated in the election campaign were seen dressed as Hindu deities, donning saffron-coloured cloth strips bearing party symbols at various locations through the roadshow, performing on stages arranged by BJP workers.
“Students present at the roadshow said that school authorities instructed them to gather at the Sai Baba Colony junction two hours before the event. In guidelines issued by your office on February 5, 2024, EC in unequivocal terms has conveyed zero tolerance towards use of children in election-related work or campaign activities,” said the letter.