BJP asks its leaders, spokespersons to avoid controversies during election campaign

New Delhi: The BJP leadership has asked its leaders and spokespersons to not court any trouble during their campaign work, and keep their utterances devoid of any controversy.

Spokespersons and key leaders have been asked to not use any derogatory language that could harm the party’s prospects in the elections. Some of the sticky points that the party has identified include the election bonds scheme and the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Leaders have also been asked to refrain from attacking any Opposition leader. They have been asked to speak only about the Modi government’s performance, policies and vision for the future.

Sources in the BJP said that, after a few missteps by prominent faces, it is keen to not get into any sort of untoward mess which could lead to unpopularity among voters.

Sources said that the BJP has asked its spokespersons to build on the welfarism of the Modi government and some of its key achievements. But, getting into topics like the electoral bonds scheme and Kejriwal’s arrest, is unavoidable. And so, the party is putting forward some of its seasoned faces to take on the issue.

“The details of the electoral bonds scheme clearly shows that every party took part in the scheme; the BJP is the largest party and so we are bound to get a bigger share. If they spent the money from the electoral bonds scheme, how can they point a finger at us,” a senior spokesperson of the party said.

“As for Kejriwal, the charges against him are of corruption. He started off as an anti-corruption crusader and now is mired in corruption charges, for corruption in a liquor scam. The public is on our side on this,” the leader added.

Recently, comments by actor Kangana Ranaut, the party’s candidate from Mandi, who said the first prime minister of the country was Subhash handra Bose, earned her and the BJP a lot of flak. Sources said that some comments by the ABVP, too, had led to a stern directive by the PMO.

One of the biggest messes the party’s media unit faced was in 2022 when spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Muhammad led to a public outcry.

The BJP had then said that only authorised spokespersons will be allowed to go on TV debates and other public platforms to put forward the party’s view. Spokespersons were also told to not insult any religion in any manner, to use restrained language while debating, and not get provoked.