BJP on Thursday approached the Election Commission on Sonia Gandhi's meeting with Jama Masjid Shahi Imam to seek his help in ensuring that the community's votes did not get split, saying the step was a violation of the model code and demanded stern action.
BJP also alleged that such a meeting was aimed at polarising elections and could lead to communal flare-up.
"We are confident that the Election Commission will take serious note of these developments and initiate preventive steps such that their efforts, as always, to conduct free and fair elections are not frustrated by determined spoilers who are aiming at communal conflagration," BJP said in a memorandum to the Commission.
BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and convener of election cell R Ramakrishna said as per para 1 of the Model Code of Conduct, "There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as forums for election propaganda."
BJP said, "These developments are potent with ugly possibilities. Already the abusive and derogatory language used by various political parties is fouling up the atmosphere such as "Zahr ki Kheti" (Sonia Gandhi) "Boti-Boti Katna" (Imran Masood) "Aag Lag Jayegi" (Yogendra Yadav of the Congress surrogate party called the AAP).
"This crescendo of language culminating in the coming together of the community such that "Secular" (!) votes are not split amounts to nothing but communal polarisation, notwithstanding the reported loud denial by Sonia Gandhi."
The CEC had earlier said that the EC will take cognisance of any complaint in this regard, but it had not got a complaint.
BJP, on its part, sought the EC's suo motu intervention as the remarks were in public domain.
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