A view of the Madras High Court. File photograph
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to issue notice, and call for an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for election campaign speeches he has made on communal lines.
A mention was made before a summer vacation bench of Justices A.D. Jagadish Chandira and R. Kalaimathi on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, stating that the High Court Registry was refusing to number the writ petition just because the allegations had been made against the Prime Minister.
The judges advised the petitioner’s counsel A.P. Suryaprakasam to answer the queries raised by the Registry and get the petition numbered. Filing an affidavit on behalf of TNCC, its president K. Selvaperunthagai said, the Prime Minister had made unsavoury remarks against Muslims in multiple meetings since April 21.
The deponent alleged that the BJP was attempting to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by hook or by crook, and therefore, was indulging in a divisive campaign along communal lines. He said the Prime Minister himself had termed Muslims as infiltrators and those who begat more children.
Stating that such statements had been made in election campaign meetings held in Rajasthan, Gujarat and other places, Mr. Selvaperunthagai complained that a false campaign was also being spread about the Congress manifesto, projecting that party was in favour of imposing an inheritance tax.
The deponent said the ECI had issued a notice regarding the speeches to the BJP, and not to the Prime Minister, who had delivered these speeches. Therefore, he insisted on a direction to the ECI to issue a notice to the PM and initiate decisive action with respect to the campaign speeches.
