The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Tuesday, April 23, that it had received a complaint regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks during a poll speech in Rajasthan and had considered the complaint.
During his Lok Sabha election speech in Rajasthan, PM Modi suggested that if Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims.
"This 'urban Naxal' mindset, mothers and sisters, will not even leave your 'mangalsutra'. They can go to that extent. The Congress manifesto claims it will calculate the gold possessed by mothers and sisters, gather information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom? Manmohan Singh's government had said Muslims have the first right on the country's assets," PM Modi said at the poll rally on Sunday.
"Earlier, when Congress government was in power, they had stated that Muslims have the first right on the country's assets. This implies 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?"
PM Narendra Modi's Rajasthan Lok Sabha Speech
"Is it acceptable to you? Do governments have the right to confiscate your property which you have earned through hard work? The gold with our mothers and sisters is not for showing off; it is tied to their self-respect. The value of their mangalsutra is not in gold or its price, but is related to their dreams in life. And you are talking about snatching it?" PM Modi said.
However, poll panel spokesperson declined to comment on Prime Ministers's comment on Muslim community. "We decline to comment," said a EC spokesperson when asked about the Prime Minister's speech in Banswara on Sunday.
On Monday, a delegation led by senior Congress leader and Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi met with the ECI, urging to take "appropriate action" against the Prime Minister 'irrespective of the status of the person' over his alleged speech.
Singhvi said that the Prime Minister's statement was 'seriously, ridiculously objectionable'.
"Most important is the first one, which deals with the extremely objectionable comments of no less than the Chief Executive of this government. We respect the office he holds. He is as much our Prime Minister as he is yours and he is BJP's. Unfortunately, the statement we have quoted is seriously, ridiculously objectionable. We pray to him (PM Modi) with folded hands to withdraw this statement and to clarify. We have asked the Election Commission to state that this is the position in law, we will do in his respect, whatever we do with others," the senior Congress leader told reporters.