How will EC’s rap to Modi, Rahul change the remaining campaigning

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday asked the BJP and the Congress to desist from campaigning along caste, community, language, and religious lines, asserting that India’s socio-cultural milieu cannot be made a casualty to elections.

The BJP was asked to stop campaign speeches by its star campaigners that may divide society on religious lines, with the reference to the opposition charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a divisive speech in Rajasthan's Banswara.

The poll body rapped Congress on multiple counts including Rahul Gandhi’s alleged attempt to divide the society on caste lines, linguistic lines, the Constitution of India may be abolished or sold, political propaganda involving activities of the Defence forces, divisive statements regarding socio-economic composition of Defence forces.

Rejecting the arguments from both parties, the EC asked the presidents of the two national parties to issue formal notes to their star campaigners to correct their discourse, exercise care and maintain decorum.

The poll body’s rap to both parties may impact the campaigning for the remaining eight days into the ongoing elections.

While BJP leaders would not utter the word ‘Muslim’ in their campaigning, they are expected to continue calling out ‘vote bank’ or ‘vote bank politics’. BJP star campaigners have indeed started using ‘vote bank’, ‘vote bank politics’ and ‘appeasement politics’ over the past few days.

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi’s most of the planks have been taken away by the Election Commission.

Gandhi and other Congress star campaigners would not be able to engage in fear-mongering in the name of the Constitution. The Congress scion will not be seen with the pocketbook of the Constitution of India at his rallies.

Political propaganda involving activities of the Defence forces was Gandhi’s other big plank of his campaigns. He kept using divisive statements regarding socio-economic composition of Defence forces.

With the EC’s rap, this plank also is expected to disappear from Gandhi’s speeches.

Besides attempting to divide the society on linguistic lines, Gandhi has also been aggressively pitching caste and financial surveys which were seen as the division of the society on caste and economic lines.

The EC reprimanded Gandhi by saying, “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.”

The linguistic division from Gandhi’s campaign already ended as the polling in the southern part of the country was over long back.

However, it is to be seen if Gandhi will put a stop to the plank of the socio-economic survey causing division in the society.

In case Gandhi adheres to the directives of the EC in letter and spirit, he will be left with nothing to campaign as all his planks have drawn flak from the poll body.

The commission said that the utterances of the concerned Star campaigners follow patterns and create narratives which can be damaging beyond the MCC period.

“Technical loopholes or extreme interpretations of other political party's utterances cannot discharge them from this core responsibility of their own content which ought to be corrective to the ongoing discourse and not further plummeting the quality of campaign discourse,” the EC said.

The poll body said that elections are a process when political parties, not only contest to win but also avail the opportunity to present themselves in their ideal best for the voting community to experience, emulate and build hopes on.

“The second part constitutes the more precious heritage of Indian elections and our electoral democracy and this should not be allowed to be weakened by anyone, including your party,” the EC added.

Elections are periodic exercises, they come and go, but political parties like yours endure; even more enduring preserve is India's socio-cultural milieu, the EC noted.

“Political parties are in the task of nurturing leaders for the country for the present and future. They cannot afford to be lax in any manner in enforcing discipline and conduct among the cadre in the high stake electoral space, especially with reference to senior members,” the EC said.