A petition filed in the Delhi High Court calls for a six-year electoral ban on PM Modi alleging that he used religion to solicit votes during his campaign in Pilibhit for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The petitioner accuses the BJP leader, who currently holds the position of Prime Minister of India, of breaching the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
A petition has been lodged before the Delhi High Court, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the model code of conduct (MCC) by soliciting votes in the name of “god and place of worship” for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The petitioner, lawyer Anand S Jondhale, referred to PM Modi’s speech in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, on April 9, where he purportedly urged voters to support the BJP by invoking Hindu and Sikh deities and their respective places of worship.
Jondhale’s plea seeks PM Modi’s disqualification from participating in any elections for six years. “That Respondent No.2 [Modi] said that he has constructed the Ram Temple. Respondent No.2 also stated that he developed Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and removed GST from material used in Langars served in Gurudwaras. The Respondent No.2 also said that he had brought back the copies of Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan,” the plea alleged.
According to Jondhale, PM Modi’s actions contravene the Model Code of Conduct outlined in Compendium of Instructions Volume-III under Rules General Conduct-I(1) and (3). These rules prohibit activities that may exacerbate existing differences or incite tension between various communities, religious or linguistic.
Furthermore, Jondhale argued that PM Modi’s appeal to religious sentiments during the campaign violates the provision against appealing to caste or community feelings to secure votes. He asserted that places of worship should not be utilized for election propaganda.
Jondhale also accused PM Modi of making remarks favoring Hindus and Sikhs while disparaging other political parties as being partial to Muslims, which he believes stokes feelings of enmity and disharmony between religious and regional groups.
Despite lodging a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) urging the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the Prime Minister under Sections 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and advocating for Modi’s disqualification from elections for six years, the Commission allegedly took no action, according to the petitioner.
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