New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action against Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his ‘dangerous’ speech while campaigning for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
In a formal complaint filed on Monday, BJP accused Rahul of “pitting states against each other and lying that BJP is about to destroy the Constitution,” and asked for an FIR to be lodged against the Congress leader under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 353.
A delegation led by Union Minister for Law & Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal met ECI officials to submit their complaint which pertains to a speech by Rahul on November 6 in Maharashtra.
“Rahul Gandhi tried to lie once again for Maharashtra Election, he attempted to pit states against each other, he waved the Constitution and lied again that the BJP is about to destroy the Constitution. This is false. We said that this should be stopped.”
The delegation further told ECI that the Congress leader is “habitual in doing this and is not deterring from this despite warnings and notices.”
“We wish to bring to your notice the gross violation of MCC and other electoral and penal laws, by Shri Rahul Gandhi of Indian National Congress, while the Model Code of Conduct enforced effective 15th October 2024 in the State of Maharashtra,” read the complaint by BJP.
BJP referred Rahul’s purported November 6 speech, where he accused the saffron party and RSS of trying to destroy the constitution.
“If you take out the list of vice-chancellors of India’s universities, you won’t find any merit. There is only one criteria for appointment – RSS membership. If you want to become vice-chancellor, take a RSS membership on Science, on Geography, on History… even if you don’t know anything that does not matter when you are from the RSS. And this is happening not just with one institution, but with all institutions of the country,” Rahul said, according to BJP.
The BJP alleged that Rahul is inciting youths of Maharashtra which is “immensely dangerous for the unity and integrity of the nation”.
“As only expected and in line with his typical pattern of campaigning and general conduct, Shri Rahul Gandhi’s speech was full of falsehood and lies, intending to create disaffection, enmity and ill-will between the states of Union of India. He has been constantly making false, unsubstantiated, unverified and baseless allegations against the BJP. His nefarious attempt to create a rift between the citizens of India on the basis of place, caste and religion is solely aimed to achieve the electoral gains in the ongoing assembly elections in the state of Maharashtra,” BJP mentioned in the complaint.
