Congress moves EC against PM Modi over his ‘infiltrator’ remark

The Congress on Monday filed a complaint before the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘infiltrator’ remark at a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara.

“We respect the office he (PM Modi) holds; he is as much our PM as yours or the BJP. The higher the position he holds, the more the obligation he holds to exercise restraint. Unfortunately, the statement he quoted, it is seriously objectionable. We can never expect this from the PM. We would pray to him with folded hands to withdraw these comments and clarify,” Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Addressing an election rally in Banswara, the prime minister said,“The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom – Manmohan Singh’s government had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets.”

Modi added,”Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets. This means 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?” he said.

“Shri Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (and its senior leaders) have deliberately and repeatedly, invoked religion, religious symbols and religious sentiments in its election campaign and the same is being done without any impunity,” the Congress said in its complaint.

The Congress alleged that the prime minister made “false and divisive insinuations, targeted at a particular religious community and a clear provocation to the general public to act out and breach peace, potentially against such a religious community”.

The grand old party said it filed numerous complaints against PM Modi and the BJP but the poll panel has not even issued a show cause notice to him. “ The Commission must ask itself if the same leeway would be granted to any other candidate if the so arrogantly and repeatedly defied the laws of our country,” the Congress wrote.