EC notice to BJP Uttarakhand for tweeting morphed photo of Harish Rawat
New Delhi, Feb 6: The Election Commission has issued a notice to the Uttarakhand BJP for alleged violation of the model code and asked it to reply within 24 hours for tweeting a morphed image of former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat, in which he has been shown as a Muslim cleric.
The action comes after the Congress complained to the poll body on Friday, alleging that the BJP Uttarakhand from its official Twitter handle on February 3 at 9.34 PM tweeted a morphed image of Rawat, wherein he has been falsely depicted as belonging to a particular community.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had spoken to the CEC on Saturday and demanded the registration of an FIR against the BJP, while alleging that it has violated the model code and other provisions of the law, as it seeks to create disharmony on religious grounds between people of diverse faith.
The said tweet has since been removed.
"Whereas, the Commission has carefully considered the matter and is of the considered view that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Uttarakhand has in violation of the clauses (I) & (2) laid down in the part 'General Conduct' of the Model Code of Conduct...of Section-123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and sub-section (I)(a) of Section 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code 1860, made statements that are provocative and can seriously incite the emotions and lead to breakdown of law & order situation thereby adversely affecting the election process," the EC said in its notice sent last on February 5.
"Now, therefore, the Commission gives an opportunity to the BJP Uttarakhand to explain its stand on putting the morphed image of Shri Harish Rawat on its official Twitter handle as alleged by AICC," the Commission also said.
The explanation, the EC said, should reach the Commission within 24 hours of receipt of this notice, failing which the Commission shall take appropriate decision in the matter without further reference to BJP Uttarakhand.
Congress leaders Surjewala, Rawat, Devendra Yadav, Ganesh Godiyal and others had through their memorandum demanded that the Commission take necessary and immediate penal action against the BJP, Uttarakhand Unit.
The Congress party has also demanded that the said tweet be taken down immediately and the official Twitter handle of BJP Uttarakhand be suspended till the completion of the Assembly Elections in the State of Uttarakhand.
The Congress urged the Election Commission that it is vested with vast powers to ensure a level playing field amongst the political parties during elections and in a healthy and a peace loving democracy, use of religion to create divisiveness and disharmony has always been eschewed by the Commission.
"The Commission has upheld the secular spirit of Indian democracy time and again and this tweet seeks to undo that spirit. It is thus submitted that the BJP, Uttarakhand Unit, with a view to create communal disharmony and divide between communities of Uttarakhand has portrayed Shri Harish Rawat ji with a beard and a cap insinuating that he is a Muslim in order to create divisions between communities in the peaceful state of Uttarakhand," the Congress memorandum said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Iran Foreign Minister Araghchi begins 3-day India visit
New Delhi (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi began a three-day official visit to India on Wednesday, marking the first high-level diplomatic engagement from Tehran since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran more than two months ago.
Araghchi is visiting India primarily to attend a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers beginning Thursday.
The Iranian foreign minister is set to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, focusing on the escalating crisis in West Asia.
The situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz is expected to feature prominently. The Indian side is likely to press for the safe passage of remaining merchant vessels through the strategic waterway, according to people familiar with the matter.
Araghchi and other foreign ministers of the BRICS member states are scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
"A very warm welcome to Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on his arrival in New Delhi for the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'.
The escalating crisis in West Asia and its impact on the global energy supply chain are expected to dominate deliberations at the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting.
India, as the chair of BRICS, is hosting the conclave of the foreign ministers ahead of the annual summit of the grouping in September.
It will be interesting to see if the foreign ministerial conclave manages to produce a consensus statement on the conflict in West Asia.
Sharp differences among the member states over the US-Israel war on Iran stalled India's efforts to build a consensus position on the conflict during a meeting of the grouping's deputy foreign ministers and special envoys on Middle East and North America last month.
No consensus statement on the conflict could be reached largely due to differences between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran. The two neighbouring countries have sparred in recent weeks over Iran's alleged attacks on energy infrastructure in the UAE.
"The active presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in mechanisms such as BRICS represents a strategic choice to strengthen genuine multilateralism, expand equitable cooperation, and participate in shaping a more just order in international relations," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on 'X'.
"The BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi can be an important opportunity for dialogue on the future of Global South cooperation, reforming international economic governance, developing independent trade, strengthening financial and banking ties, and reducing countries' dependence on discriminatory and unilateral mechanisms," he said.
Gharibabadi said Iran, with its geopolitical, energy, transit, scientific, and human capacities, can play an effective role in the BRICS agenda for balanced development, economic security, regional connectivity, and amplifying the voice of independent countries.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister is in New Delhi for the BRICS meeting.
"In this path, opposition to America's unilateral coercive measures and their illegal and anti-development effects is an inseparable part of defending economic justice and the rights of nations to development," he said.
After the West Asia conflict escalated, Iran urged India, as the current BRICS chair, to leverage its "independent role" to halt the US-Israel hostilities against Iran.
Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (liquefied natural gas).
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
It has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
The BRICS foreign ministers held their last meeting on the margins of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in September 2025.
