To
Shri Rajiv Kumar
Chief Election Commissioner
Shri A C Pandey
Election Commissioner
Shri A Goel
Election Commissioner
Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar/ Pandey and Goel,
I have come across a report (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/99769842.cms?from=mdr&utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst) that the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, during election meetings in Karnataka recently, said, “if Congress is elected in Karnataka, dynastic politics will be at an all-time high in the state and it will be ‘afflicted with communal riots‘ “.
The above statement of Shri Amit Shah, if it has been reported correctly, violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) which lays down that “criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided” and “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 above statement attributed to Shri Amit Shah assumes special significance as he is also the Union Home Minister dealing with law and order in the States. Also, considering different political parties, even prior to the date on which the Commission notified the elections in Karnataka, made statements and undertook activities that tended to polarise the electorate on religious and communal lines. Shri Ami Shah’s recent statement needs to be looked at in that context.
This is not the first time that Shri Amit Shah has made such a statement. Earlier, during the Gujarat Assembly elections also, he made a similar statement on which I had written to the Commission in my letters dated 26th & 28th of November last year (https://countercurrents.org/2022/11/amit-shahs-statement-on-gujarat-the-elections-must-be-deferred/?swcfpc=1)
As the authority entrusted under Article 324 of the Constitution to ensure that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner, I request the Commission to take note of the above and take appropriate action in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.
I request the Commission to be transparent in dealing with this letter, and pass a speaking order with the grounds stated unambiguously, so that I may have the option to seek judicial intervention if necessary.
Regards,
Yours sincerely,
E A S Sarma
Former Secretary to the Government of India
Visakhapatnam
