New Delhi [India], April 5 : Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shishir Bajoria on Sunday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Bannerjee over "inciteful, derogatory, and provocative" statements targeting the BJP and its leadership, in violation of the Moral Code of Conduct (MCC).
"A series of highly derogatory, inciteful and provocative statements in public have been purposely made by Sh. Kalyan Bannerjee, Member of Parliament belonging to Trinamool Congress (TMC), directed towards the Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji and members/supporters of BJP to disturb the electoral process presently underway," he wrote in the complaint.
He said that this is not the first time that the TMC has passed such statements and such misconduct indicates a deliberate attempt to fuel hostility, aggressive mobilization and create an environment of fear, abuse, and polarisation.
"The subject statement is not an isolated incident, but a part of a continuing and escalating pattern of provocative and intimidatory rhetoric by TMC leadership and its functionaries. This repeated conduct indicates a deliberate and coordinated strategy to make abusive and inflammatory statements to fuel hostility, aggressive mobilisation, and to create an atmosphere of fear, polarisation and hatred through provocation by inciteful, derogatory remarks, more so against the Union Minister Amit Shah Ji. The repetitive, frequent, similar statements by TMC functionaries targeting the BJP leadership and party strongly indicate the TMC leadership's intent to tarnish the BJP's reputation," he wrote in the complaint.
The complaint further noted that the derogatory remarks violates the Moral Code of Conduct under Part 1, Clause (1) stating 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' and Part 1, Clause (2) stating that 'criticism of other political parties, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Parties and Candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders, workers or other parties. Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortions shall be avoided'.
Bajoria said that the remarks made by the TMC MP also attract the Section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and Section 353 (statements conducing to public service) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
"The statement contributes to an atmosphere which may interfere with the free exercise of electoral rights, creating hate, fear, apprehension and amounts to undue influence as defined under Section 171C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951," he added in the complaint.
He urged the ECI to take immediate cognisance of the impugned statement made by Bannerjee. He demanded that the video be removed from public circulation and restraining directions against Bannerjee and other functionaries of TMC from making incendiary statements in the future.
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