Tuesday in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, PM Modi repeated what he had said in Banswara on April 21.

"The day before yesterday in Rajasthan I put forth some truth in front of the country and the entire Congress and INDI alliance went into a panic. I put forth the truth that Congress is plotting to snatch your property and distribute it to their special people...” Modi said.

“Between 2004 and 2010, Congress tried four times to implement Muslim reservations in Andhra Pradesh. However, due to legal hurdles and awareness of the Supreme Court, they could not fulfil his plans. In 2011, Congress tried to implement it across the country. They snatched the rights given to SC/ST and OBC and gave them to others for vote bank politics. Congress made all these efforts knowing that all this was against the basic spirit of the Constitution. But Congress did not care about the Constitution..."

On April 21 as well, PM Modi’s speech had identical remarks against the Congress which triggered angry reactions from Opposition parties, as well as some sections of the Indian society. Opposition parties flagged parts of his speech as “communal”, “hate speech” and violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Opposition’s stance has resonated with common people on social media and many are angry over the “communal” tinge of PM Modi’s speech. Reportedly, over 17,000 people have written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to register their complaint against the controversial parts of the speech.

On April 22, Congress wrote to ECI asking for PM Modi’s ‘immediate disqualification’ as a candidate in the general elections. Congress in its complaint to ECI mentions this is not the first time the leader has used words laced with “communal” connotations. Congress also said the ECI ‘is on trial’ now.

While the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat, tried to file a complaint against him at a police station in New Delhi. According to party’s statement, the police personnel at the station did not accept the complaint, so the party sent it to the Police Commissioner of Delhi.    

Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has also urged the ECI to take action against the PM over his remarks against Muslims in India. "Action should be taken against the prime minister. The Election Commission should be ready to take action against him," the chief minister said.

Targeting the RSS, Vijayan further said that those who had played no role in the freedom movement are now ruling the country. "They are trying to destroy all the significant values of the country. We know that the BJP government has made many interventions to change the Election Commission as per their wish," he added.

According to news reports, ECI has declined to comment on the issue.

PM Modi’s both speeches were delivered with his characteristic flair for theatrics, rapid fire Q&A for the audience, emphasis on the achievements of his ten years to a cheeky ridicule of the Opposition.

His words set fire to an already super-heated nation charged with the spirit of its biggest celebration for the “communal” taste it left behind.

What The PM Said

In Sunday’s speech, PM termed Muslims as “infiltrators” and accused the Congress of touting in its manifesto the intention to “redistribute people’s wealth among them”.

He also alleged that, along with everyone’s private properties, women’s ‘mangalsutra’ (sacred piece of jewellery worn by married Hindu women around their neck) will also be distributed to the “people who have more children”.

While repeating the gist of his earlier speech, today, PM Modi added people were not allowed to say “ram ram sa” (a common phrase to greet people in Rajasthan) under the previous government in the state headed by Congress. He also alleged the Congress government had banned celebrations on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti, two Hindu festivals to mark the birth of Rama and Hanuman, respectively. 

Opposition On Fire

The storm hasn’t settled after the previous speech which saw strong reaction from the opposition. It had appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) via several social media platforms to take action against the PM for the “hate” speech post Sunday speech. They allege the speech violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The first clause of the MCC is as follows:

“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.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge termed the contentious part as “hate speech”. He posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying the BJP is baffled after the first phase of elections. He alleged the BJP and Sangh “trains its people to lie to acquire power”. He also said that no other PM has “defaced the office as much as Mr. Modi”.   

Later, Kharge also asked for an appointment with PM Modi, so he can ‘explain’ Congress’ manifesto to him.

Rahul Gandhi, who is often at the receiving end of PM Modi’s attacks, also reacted. Gandhi said the country will vote on the basis of its issues and the PM is scared and is trying to deviate the narrative by lying. He also termed Congress’ manifesto as “revolutionary” and that it resonates with the people.

In the speech PM, had alleged that the Congress is now in the ‘claws of urban naxals and leftists’. CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury has questioned the silence of the ECI in the matter. He called the speech ‘atrocious’ and ECI silence ‘even more atrocious’. He also said the speech is in ‘contempt of court’ vis-à-vis orders against hate speech.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president, Asaduddin Owaisi, also reacted strongly against the speech taking a jibe at the Modi ki guarantee’ campaign which the BJP is running. He said that since 2002 (the year Gujarat witnessed the communal riots) the ‘only Modi guarantee has been to abuse Muslims and get votes’.

Every election season witnesses violations of the MCC from almost all parties and seem to have been normalised to a certain extent. However, to protect the sanctity of electoral process there are constant appeals from various sections of the society that the ECI needs to implement stringent action against violators.

(With inputs from PTI)