NEW DELHI, Nov 23: The Election Commission (EC) issued a show-cause notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today for his “panauti”, “pickpocket” and “loan waiver for the super rich” jibes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asked him to respond by Saturday.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had approached the Poll Panel against the former Congress president, saying it was “unbecoming” of a “very senior leader” to use such language.
The EC reminded Gandhi that the Model Code of Conduct prohibits leaders from making unverified allegations against political rivals.
The Congress leader used those words targeting the Prime Minister at recent rallies in poll-bound Rajasthan.
In its representation to the EC, the BJP had asserted that the allegation of grant of waivers to industrialists of Rs 14,00,000 crore over the last nine years was “not borne out on facts”.
The EC notice said the expression “panauti” ex-facie falls in the equity of the prohibition of section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, dealing with corrupt practices.
Clause 2, sub section (ii) of section 123 states that any person who induces or attempts to induce a candidate or an elector to believe that he, or any person in whom he is interested, will become or will be rendered an object of divine displeasure or spiritual censure, shall be deemed to interfere with the free exercise of the electoral right of such a candidate or elector, the notice reminded Gandhi.
The Congress leader had used the “panauti” barb against Modi in a poll speech in Rajasthan as the prime minister had attended the World Cup cricket final that India lost to Australia after 10 consecutive wins in the tournament.
A Hindi slang, “panauti” loosely refers to someone who brings bad luck. (PTI)
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