'Maintain decorum': ECI comes down heavily on BJP, Congress; asks both parties to exercise restraint
Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to send formal instructions to star campaigners to correct their discourse, exercise care and maintain decorum.
PTC Web News: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to send formal instructions to star campaigners to correct their discourse, exercise care and maintain decorum.
The ECI's unprecedented instructions to the BJP and Congress follow a decline in campaign quality driven by their star campaigners.
The EC has slammed both the BJP and the Congress for campaigning on caste, community, language, and religion.
The election body has ordered star campaigners from both parties to avoid religious and communal overtones in their campaigns. The ECI has also ordered the BJP to refrain from making campaign speeches that might trigger societal divisions.
The EC has asked the Congress to ensure that star campaigners do not make false statements, such as claiming that the Indian Constitution may be abolished or sold. Furthermore, while speaking on the Agniveer scheme, the poll EC has instructed Congress campaigners or candidates not to politicise the defence forces and to avoid making potentially contentious statements about the socioeconomic mix of the forces.
The Commission has stated that India's sociocultural environment is enduring and cannot be lost as a result of elections. The EC has also stated that the BJP and Congress will not be permitted to undermine the Indian voter's heritage of a positive electoral experience.
The Election Commission has exposed all of the BJP's and Congress's claims against one other and dismissed their defences. The Commission has stated that the party in power should have additional responsibilities during election season and that the Opposition should not be given an unlimited extra space.