New Delhi: The Election Commission is likely to ask the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra to furnish a report on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at an election rally in Wardha, sources told News18.
The development came after a Congress delegation met EC officials earlier on Friday and brought up Modi’s comments in which he had indirectly questioned Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad in Kerala. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had confirmed the development.
The Congress had complained about Modi’s comments and accused him of violating the model code of conduct, which has been in place since the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections was announced on March 10.
At a rally in Wardha on April 1, Modi had claimed that the Congress had been forced to contest from places dominated by the minority community, in an indirect reference to Gandhi’s decision to fight from Wayanad. Gandhi is also contesting from the Congress bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
"The Congress insulted Hindus. People have decided to punish it in the election. Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by the majority (Hindu) population. That is why they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is a minority,” Modi had said at a rally on April 1. This was his first campaign rally in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Referring to a recent order of the NIA special court that acquitted Samjhauta Express blast accused Swami Assemanand and others in the case, Modi claimed that the judgment had “debunked the Congress conspiracy” of ‘Hindu terror’. “How can a community known for peace, brotherhood and harmony be linked with terrorism?” he had said.
Modi had accused the Congress of coming up with the phrase “Hindu terror”.
“When you heard the phrase ‘Hindu terror’, did it hurt you deeply or not? In thousands of years of history, is there any instance of Hindus committing a terror act?” Modi had asked the audience.
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