The BJP on Wednesday approached the Election Commission of India (EC), seeking an FIR against the Indian National Congress and a show-cause notice to its president Mallikarjun Kharge over the alleged “communal and inflammatory” remarks he made in Assam and his “illiterate” jibe at people in Gujarat and other states.
A party delegation, including Union ministers Virendra Kumar and Arjun Ram Meghwal, urged the poll panel to direct Kharge to issue a public apology. Citing violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the BJP also sought restrictions on Kharge from addressing election rallies or making public speeches during the poll period.
In a memorandum, the BJP alleged that Kharge, while addressing a rally with predominantly Muslim voters in Assam’s Nilambazar, invoked the Quran and compared the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to “poisonous snakes”.
Speaking to the media, Meghwal said on April 7, Kharge, while campaigning, told a specific community that if a poisonous snake appears during namaz, one should stop praying and kill it. He alleged such remarks could provoke and incite sections of society.
The BJP also criticised Kharge for calling people in Gujarat and other states “illiterate”. At a rally in Kerala, he reportedly said people in the southern state are “educated” and cannot be misled, unlike those in some other regions.
The party argued that these statements violate the MCC by misusing religion, promoting enmity, and engaging in inflammatory campaigning. It also cited provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to promoting enmity, hurting religious sentiments, and disturbing public order.