BJP urges EC to file FIR against TMC leader for 'casteist slur' on PM Modi

BJP has asked the Election Commission to lodge an FIR against Piyush Panda and ban his campaigning for the remainder of the election period for his alleged derogatory remarks

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India (EC) regarding alleged derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Piyush Panda. The party has also urged the EC to file an FIR against the leader for his remarks and to ban him from campaigning.

The complaint was registered in response to a widely circulated video on social media platforms, where Piyush Panda is seen addressing an election rally in West Bengal. In the video, he is accused of hurling casteist slurs at the Prime Minister and making derogatory remarks. The BJP condemned the use of terms such as "Madman" and "Fraud" to describe the Prime Minister.

"Calling a Prime Minister of the country 'Madman' and 'Fraud' is most unbecoming of any leader and is a symptom of plummeting levels of political discourse. The derogatory statement not only amounts to vicious abuse and personal attack but also a character assassination and defamatory with a clear intent to harm his reputation and mislead the public," the BJP said.

In the complaint, the BJP highlighted violations of provisions within the Indian Penal Code, Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Model Code of Conduct by Piyush Panda, President of the Contai Organisational district of the TMC.

Furthermore, the BJP alleged that Panda made objectionable statements demeaning the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, suggesting that polishing shoes is a suitable job for its members. They argue that these remarks were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of highly derogatory remarks aimed at both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the OBC community.

"Since he made this unacceptable statement in a public rally, it cannot be construed as an isolated incident. The TMC has clearly given instructions to its leaders to unleash highly derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the OBC community. Piyush Panda has also committed an unpardonable act by bringing religion into the elections," the complaint read.

Panda was also accused of bringing religion into the elections by claiming that only Brahmins have the right to inaugurate the Ram Mandir.

The BJP has urged the EC to take immediate action, including the removal of the offending post from all social media platforms, the lodging of an FIR against Piyush Panda, issuance of prohibitory orders against him, and a ban on his campaigning for the remainder of the election period.