New Delhi: Civil society organisations Rajasthan Election Watch (REW) and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) have called on the chief election officer (CEO) of Rajasthan to lodge a complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent anti-Muslim hate speech in Banswara.
According to Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, she and Mukesh Goswami of REW approached the CEO Rajasthan to lodge their complaint on Monday, April 22. They got a “receiving signature” on their complaint (application) from the officer on special duty (OSD) to the CEO Rajasthan. Srivastava said they were asked to come back the next day, Tuesday, to know the status of their application. It should be noted that the complaint is yet to be accepted to result in any further action.
Separately, Srivastava and Bhanwar Meghwanshi of PUCL approached Jaipur Police Commissioner, Biju George Joseph, for the registration of a first information report (FIR) against Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in connection with the hate speech.
Srivastava said the Commissioner refused to register an FIR, noting that no police station in Jaipur had the jurisdiction to do so. At this point, Srivastava and Meghwanshi pointed out to the Commissioner that there was no need for jurisdiction for offences committed under Sections 124 (B), 153 (A), 295 (A) and 505 of the Indian Penal Code. He was still unconvinced and refused to file a zero FIR. However, he forwarded their complaint to the Banswara SP.
Separately, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) approached the Mandir Marg Police Station in Delhi to lodge a complaint against Modi. However, the police there refused to accept their complaint. It was then CPI (M) leaders Brinda Karat and Pushpinder Singh Grewal forwarded their complaint to the Delhi Police Commissioner.
Modi on Sunday, April 21, during his campaign in Rajasthan’s Banswara, had said, “Earlier, when his government was in power, he had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s property, which means who will they collect this property and distribute it to – those who have more children, will distribute it to the infiltrators. Will the money of your hard work be given to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?”
He also went on to say, “This Congress manifesto is saying that they will calculate the gold of the mothers and sisters, get information about it and then distribute it. Manmohan Singh’s government had said that Muslims have the first right on property. Brothers and sisters, these urban Naxal thoughts will not let even your mangalsutra escape, they will go this far.”
