Over 17,400 Citizens Write to EC, Seek Action Against PM Modi for Hate Speech

New Delhi: Over 17,400 citizens have submitted a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking action against BJP’s start campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The letter is in reaction to various speeches by Modi, especially the one in Banswara, Rajasthan on Sunday, where he alleged that the Congress manifesto speaks of distributing citizen’s wealth among “infiltrators” (read Muslims) if voted to power.

The letter points out that the MCC clearly says that “No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic,”

“The prime minister, while campaigning as the [Bharatiya Janata Party’s] Star Pracharak [campaigner], made a speech on April 21 in Rajasthan that has disturbed the sentiments of millions of Constitution respecting citizens of India,” the group said in a petition to the poll panel. “The speech is dangerous and a direct attack on the Muslims of India.”

The petition was signed by 2,209 persons, according to a report in Scroll.in.

On Sunday, Modi had said: “When the Congress-led government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right over the country’s assets. This means that they will distribute wealth to those who have more children and those who are infiltrators. Is this acceptable to you?”

The letter added: “Shri Narendra Modi blatantly violated” the MCC by “aiming at not only appealing to ‘communal feelings’ but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims.”

The citizens group pointed out to the EC Modi’s use of pejorative language against Muslims in a bid to seek votes “seriously undermines India’s stature as the ‘Mother of Democracy’ in the world”.

“The Election Commission’s failure to take any action against such hate speech will only undermine its credibility and autonomy that has been safeguarded and upheld by a series of exemplary officers before you,” the petition read.

Modi on Sunday was purportedly referring to remarks that Congress leader Manmohan Singh had made on December 9, 2006, when he addressed a meeting of the National Development Council.

Singh, the then Prime minister, had said that the country’s priorities were to uplift the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities and women and children.

This is what Modi said on April 21, 2024, in a public rally in Banswara:

“Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children. It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?”.

This is what Manmohan Singh said in December 2006:

While issuing a clarification on a “deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation” of his remarks at a meeting of the National Development Council on the government’s fiscal priorities, the PMO had said:

“I believe our collective priorities are clear: agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities and women and children. The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized. We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability.”

The PMO’s clarification said: “it will be seen from the above that the Prime Minister’s reference to “first claim on resources” refers to all the “priority” areas listed above, including programmes for the upliftment of SCs, STs, OBCs, women and children and minorities.”