The Congress on Friday approached the Election Commission against Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah for “seeking votes in the name of the armed forces” and hate speeches by top BJP leaders.
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The party also gave a memorandum to the EC on Union Minister Smriti Irani’s contradictory affidavits regarding her educational qualification and demanded her disqualification. A party delegation comprising Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Randeep Surjewala submitted representations against a web series on the Prime Minister and faulty EVMs as well.
“PM Modi, BJP chief and other leaders of the ruling party are shamelessly and openly, for the first time in 70 years, dragging the forces into cheap politics,” Mr. Singhvi told reporters outside the Election Commission. The Congress complaint came within hours of veterans writing to the President on the use of armed forces to seek votes.
“Dragging the armed forces into political crossfire, asking for votes and doing cheap politics [using the forces]... only Narendra Modi and Amit Shah could have done this,” Mr. Singhvi said. He added that the EC had the powers to act against them under the Representation of the People Act.
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Mr. Surjewala said hate speeches, whether it was by Mr. Modi or his ministerial colleagues like Maneka Gandhi, were a reflection of the nervousness in the ruling camp. “We, especially Jairam Ramesh ji, have pointed out that not only should there be an FIR against Maneka Gandhi ji for her speech but her candidature must also be cancelled,” he said.
The Congress, citing the commission’s order stopping the biopic on the Prime Minister, said it should also stop the web series.