Such portrayal of the Muslim community is a “shocking and blatant attack against the community,” the complaint said, while demanding action against the BJP state unit.
A delegation comprising concerned citizens and representatives from various civil society organizations on Monday, 6 May, met the Chief Election Officer, Karnataka, to lodge a complaint against BJP Karnataka.
The complaint highlighted alleged violations of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), as well as sections 153A, 505 (1) (c), and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by the BJP state unit for spreading fake news and hate speech through their official X handle and newspaper advertisements.
It was regarding a post on the official X handle of BJP Karnataka on 5 May, which suggested that the Muslim community was disproportionately benefiting from government funds at the cost of other communities.
Such portrayal of the Muslim community is a “shocking and blatant attack against the community,” the complaint said, while demanding action against the BJP state unit.
The animated post on X by the BJP is titled, Beware…Beware…Beware…! It shows a bird’s nest with three small eggs labelled “Scheduled Castes” (SC), “Scheduled Tribes” (SC), and “OBCs”.
It then shows two men, purportedly animated versions of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah, walking in and dropping a big egg, labelled “Muslim”. When the egg hatches, the chick with a skullcap is bigger than the rest, and Gandhi feeds it with a box of “funds”.
The chick grows and with its wings, pushes the other nestlings out while the Congress leaders guffaw.
ಎಚ್ಚರ.. ಎಚ್ಚರ.. ಎಚ್ಚರ..! pic.twitter.com/Pr75QHf4lI
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) May 4, 2024
The complaint also addressed a newspaper advertisement spreading false information misinterpreting Article 15(4) of the Indian Constitution, that reservation was given to Muslims on the basis of religion.
However, the community was given reservation for being a member of a socially and educationally backward class as per Article 15(4) of the constitution, it said.
The complaint further stated that BJP Karnataka violated Section 123 (3A) of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 by seeking votes on the ground of religion.
“By attempting to promote hatred among the Muslim and SC/ST/OBC communities, their actions also attracted IPC sections 153(A)1(a), IPC 505(2),” it said.
The delegation said that the video clearly violated the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 as contained in the Handbook for Candidates Edition 2023 issued by the Election Commission of India and the Compendium of Instructions on the Model Code of Conduct 2024.
These actions incite enmity between religious and socially marginalized groups, potentially instigating unrest, they said.
The delegation urged the Chief Election Officer, Karnataka to exercise their authority under Article 324 and undertake the following immediate measures.
The delegation also underscored the swift actions taken by the Election Commission against KC Rao, President of the Bharatha Rashtra Samiti and Congress leader Randeep Surjewala for similar violations.
They urged the Commission to “be equally prompt and strict with the violations committed by the Karnataka BJP” as well.
The CEO assured the delegation that an FIR has already been filed against Vijayendra for the video and that efforts were on to remove the video in question.
Representatives from various organizations including Bahutva Karnataka, All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ) and Campaign Against Hate Speech (CAHS) participated in the delegation.
All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Naaveddu Nilladiddare and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) also took part.
The Congress on Sunday, 5 April, had filed a complaint to the CEO Karnataka against the BJP for sharing the communally coloured animation.
KPCC media and communication chairman Ramesh Babu filed the complaint saying that the video was intended to promote enmity and hatred between Muslims and other communities, namely the SC and ST communities.
Speaking exclusively to South First on Saturday, Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said it was not the first time the BJP did something like the post.
A case was earlier registered against the BJP for posting such an Instagram reel.
Kharge wondered what prevented the EC from taking action, even as social media platforms acted against such posts. “When they portrayed Rahul Gandhi holding a Pakistan flag, etc., Instagram took the post down because of the public outrage. The EC did not act.”
He also said that the Election Commission’s inaction was emboldening the BJP.
The MCC was implemented on 16 March to ensure free and fair elections. It prohibits the use of religion in campaigns under the following: Communal Appeals, Religious Tensions, Criticism of Opponents and Religious Gatherings.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj)
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