On Thursday, the Election Commission issued a show cause notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The notice came in response to a complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party, citing remarks made by the Congress leader during an election rally in Rajasthan’s Barmer.
The Election Commission stated that the act of likening a prime minister to a ‘jaibkatra’ (pickpocket) and using the term ‘panauti’ is deemed inappropriate for a senior leader of a national political party. Additionally, the BJP’s claim regarding waivers totaling ₹14,00,000 crore over the past nine years is refuted as unsupported by facts. Rahul Gandhi has been summoned to appear before the Election Commission on November 25.
The BJP lodged a complaint with the ECI concerning Gandhi’s statement during the election rally. Rahul Gandhi remarked, “The pickpocket never comes alone, there are three people. One comes from the front, one from the back, and one from the distance… Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s job is to divert your attention. He comes on TV from the front and distracts the public by raising topics of Hindu-Muslim, demonetization, and GST. Meanwhile, Adani comes from behind and takes the money.”
In its complaint, the BJP asserted, “Referring to any individual as a Jaibkatra not only constitutes malicious abuse and a personal attack but also qualifies as character assassination. The remark is made with a distinct intent to tarnish the reputation of the person mentioned and mislead the public.
