BJP complains about Rahul's 'divisive politics' remark

Upset over Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi accusing it in his speeches of playing "divisive politics", the BJP Friday complained to the Election Commission (EC) saying he had violated the model poll code.

According to the Bharatiya Janata Party's letter to the EC, Rahul Gandhi made the charges while addressing election rallies in Churu and Kherli (Alwar) in Rajasthan on Oct 23.

With the announcement of the election schedule, the model code of conduct came into force in the states of Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram Oct 4, 2013, the BJP pointed out.

"Some portions of the impassioned speeches seem to be clearly violative of the model code that no party or candidate shall indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic," the BJP said.

"Criticism of other parties or workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided. There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes," said the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi's speeches in Rajasthan breach all the above guidelines, the BJP maintained.

According to the BJP letter, Gandhi referred to the Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh, and is reported to have said: "I was seeing my face in their grief. That is why I am against the politics of BJP. They will set Muzaffarnagar on fire, Gujarat on fire, UP on fire and Kashmir on fire, and then you and we will have to douse that fire... BJP divides people."

According to the BJP, "the happenings in Muzaffarnagar are still being investigated", and Gandhi "is accusing the BJP without an iota of proof".