EC asks BJP, Cong chiefs to comment on complaints filed by both parties against Modi, Shah, Rahul
New Delhi, Nov 16: In the wake of the BJP approaching the Election Commission (EC) against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for alleged poll code violations, the election panel asked the presidents of the two parties on Saturday to comment on the charges levelled against their leaders.
The EC wrote separate letters to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, asking them to comment on the complaints filed by the other side.
The commission exchanged the complaints between the two parties while seeking their responses.
The EC has sought formal responses from both the party presidents by 1 pm on Monday (November 18), while reminding them of the commission's earlier advisory to them during the Lok Sabha election to keep star campaigners and leaders under check so that public decorum is not flouted and the model code is followed in its letter and spirit during campaigning.
Top leaders of the two parties are campaigning in Jharkhand and Maharashtra for the ongoing Assembly polls in the two states.
During the Lok Sabha election too, the poll authority had exchanged complaints filed by the two parties against the other's star campaigners, including Modi, Shah, Gandhi and Kharge.
According to one of the complaints filed by the Congress, at election rallies in Maharashtra's Nasik and Dhule on November 8, Modi made a series of "false, malicious, and slanderous statements targeting the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allies".
"In his statements, Shri Narendra Modi levelled allegations against prominent leaders of the INC and former prime ministers namely late Jawaharlal Nehru, late Indira Gandhi and late Rajiv Gandhi...," the Congress has told the EC.
It has also accused Shah of making a "slew of false, divisive, malicious and slanderous statements about the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allies" at a poll rally in Jharkhand's Dhanbad on November 12.
"During his speech, Mr Shah alleged that the INC and its allies were against Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC); promoting terrorism in the country," the Congress has told the poll panel.
The BJP has moved the EC against Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, for alleged poll code violations during a rally in Mumbai.
It has accused Gandhi of making false claims that big international brands are opening manufacturing plants in other states at the cost of Maharashtra.
The saffron party has said Gandhi's remarks were false and "totally unverified to true facts".
It has alleged that the Congress leader "distorted the truth by stating that Apple's iPhones and Boeing's airplanes are being manufactured in other Indian states at the expense of Maharashtra.
"Through his statements, Shri Rahul Gandhi has falsely accused other states of stealing and snatching alleged opportunities from the state of Maharashta," the BJP has told the EC.
"He (Gandhi) 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," it has alleged.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
