ECI sends notice to Rahul Gandhi over remarks against Modi
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday over his "panuati" and "pickpocket" jibes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It has asked the Congress scion to respond by Saturday.
Campaigning in Rajasthan's Balotra, Gandhi had said that India lost the ICC World Cup match because the PM was in attendance.
Twitter Post
ECI's notice to RaGa
Election Commission of India issues notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on his 'panauti' and 'pickpocket' jibes at PM Modi, asks him to respond by 25th November pic.twitter.com/CcrIlU6I9o
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023
Panauti
What did Gandhi say about PM Modi
While campaigning for the Rajasthan Assembly polls, Gandhi alleged that Team India would have won the cricket World Cup, but PM Modi's presence at the stadium brought them bad luck.
In a clip shared on X, Gandhi can be heard saying PM means "Panauti Modi."
His remarks were condemned by BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who called them "shameful, condemnable, and disgraceful."
Twitter Post
Watch: Gandhi labels PM Modi 'panauti'
पनौती 😉 pic.twitter.com/kVTgt0ZCTs
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 21, 2023
BJP
BJP files complaint to ECI over RaGa's remarks
The ECI's notice came after a BJP delegation filed a complaint with the poll body. The delegation, comprising General Secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal and another functionary, Om Pathak, called for "strict action."
"He has no respect for moral values and even for the electoral laws as well as the Model Code of Conduct guidelines," the party said in its memorandum to the ECI.
Cricket
Gandhi nearly lost MP status
To recall, Gandhi almost lost his MP status for remarks he made at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, before the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.
He was disqualified in March after being sentenced to two years in prison over his remark, "How come all the thieves have Modi surname?"
However, his membership was restored in August after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction.