'Terrorist' tag for PM Modi': Election Commission issues notice to Mallikarjun Kharge, but only after a faux pas

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday issued a notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his “terrorist” remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi but only after a faux pas that saw the poll body initially mentioning Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien as one of the complainants.

While the initial notice, which was posted on EC website at 8:16 PM and later taken down, mentioned O'Brien and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju as complainants, the corrected one mentioned the latter and “some other office bearers” of the BJP, who claimed violation of Model Code of Conduct by the Congress president, was uploaded at 10:02 PM.

The error in the notice invited strong reaction from the Congress, which claimed that the EC was “caught lying and brazenly cheating” while demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. It said the notice aimed at Kharge has given “fresh evidence of its functioning as an attached office of the Home Ministry”.

Trinamool Congress is a member of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, which has Congress and over 20 others as members. Trinamool sources said no such letter was sent by it to the EC.

The action came a day after the BJP filed a complaint with the poll body following the Congress president's remarks during a press conference in Chennai. On Wednesday, a BJP delegation consisting of senior Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Rijiju met the EC.

In its notice, the EC said Kharge's "use of intemperate and highly objectionable and dehumanising choice" of words by a seasoned politician against a constitutional functionary appears to be "not only inconsistent" with the standards of public discourse but also "undermines the dignity" of democratic institutions.

It also said the EC was "prima- facie of the opinion" that Kharge, a star campaigner of the Congress, has violated provisions of the MCC and relevant

instructions of the poll body on campaign. The poll body gave Kharge 24 hours to respond to the notice. Sources said the "stern" notice came as they took a "serious note" of the remarks.

On the faux pas, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “shameful is an understatement. The CEC should resign. He has lost all moral authority and is an absolute, unmitigated disgrace. History will record him as a coward who consistently chose to sacrifice Indian democracy at the altar of his master’s political expediency.”

Earlier, he responded sharply to the notice, saying that the EC is a Constitutional body “but its behaviour is an assault on the Constitution and a disgrace for which this CEC bears the heaviest responsibility”.

“That the Election Commission dances to the tune of the PM and HM has been obvious for some time. After masterminding vote chori in very many lakhs - especially in West Bengal - today it has given fresh evidence of its functioning as an attached office of the Home Ministry,” he added.

Meanwhile, the poll body also has not provided any details about the action it has taken against complaints filed against the Prime Minister for his 'address to the nation', which Opposition parties and a group of around 700 leaders, academicians and activists described as violation of Model Code of Conduct and approached the EC.

During a press conference, Kharge created a stir by calling Modi a “terrorist” but clarified that he merely meant the latter was “terrorising people and political parties”.

“He (Modi) is a terrorist. His party won't believe in equality and justice. These people are joining with them; it means they are weakening democracy, they are weakening the philosophy of Annadurai, Kamaraj, Periyar, Kalaignar, and Baba Saheb Ambedkar," he said.

He immediately clarified that all he said was that the Prime Minister was terrorising people and political parties and that he "never said" he is a terrorist. "What I want to clarify is that Modi always threatens…He wants to take delimitation also into his hands. I said, in that context, he is terrorising people and political parties. I never said he is a terrorist," he had said.

The BJP attacked Kharge for his remarks and approached the EC saying the comment was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and the Congress should apologise immediately.

It also asked the poll body to initiate suitable penal and regulatory proceedings, including Sections 175, 171 and 174 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 that penalises false statements during elections, as well as Sections 356(1) that penalises defamation.