Congress President Kharge Responds to Election Commission Notice Over Modi Remarks
Kharge's Reaction to Election Commission Notice
On Thursday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the notice issued by the Election Commission regarding his comments labeling Prime Minister Modi as a terrorist. He stated that they would respond by evening, asserting that their team would handle the situation. The Election Commission had issued a show-cause notice on Wednesday, indicating that Kharge's remarks potentially violated the election code of conduct.
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Previously, the Election Commission had notified Kharge, mentioning that Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and TMC leader Derek O'Brien were the complainants. However, the Commission later retracted the notice from its website and issued a revised notice excluding O'Brien's name. Kharge has been given 24 hours to clarify his stance, with a warning that failure to respond would lead the Commission to assume he has no further comments, allowing them to take appropriate action without further consultation.
This notice comes just a day before voting in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. On Tuesday, Kharge accused Prime Minister Modi of using government machinery and central agencies to intimidate opposition parties, which drew a strong backlash from the BJP, condemning Kharge's remarks. During a press conference in Chennai, Kharge initially referred to Modi as a terrorist while criticizing the AIADMK's alliance with the BJP.
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Questioning the legitimacy of the AIADMK's alliance with Prime Minister Modi, which is rooted in the ideologies of Periyar and C.N. Annadurai, Kharge remarked that those in the AIADMK, who display Annadurai's image, cannot align themselves with someone they label a terrorist.