The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its displeasure over Election Commission’s decision to not take action against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his statement on Ali and Bajrang Bali and BSP chief Mayawati for appealing Muslims to vote for her party, by violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)
A SC bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered the representative of EC to appear before it on Tuesday. The top court also expressed displeasure with the poll panel ‘having limited power to act against leaders like Mayawati and Yogi Adityanath making statement along religious lines and violating model code of conduct during elections’.
The apex court made the observation while hearing a PIL seeking strict action against political parties if their leaders and spokespersons deliver speeches and make remarks along religion and caste lines.
“You can’t sleep over such issues. You have done nothing about such statements. You must act when these statements are issued,” said the SC.
On Thursday, the EC had issued show cause notices to Mayawati and UP CM Yogi Adityanath over their speeches violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The EC issued the notice to Mayawati over her speech in Deoband appealing to Muslims not to vote for the Congress, saying that prima facie the BSP chief had violated the model code of conduct.
The EC had also issued the notice to Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath for his “Ali” and “Bajrang Bali” remarks while addressing a rally in Meerut. The poll panel found him prima facie guilty of violating the MCC and sought a response from him within 24 hours.
CM Adityanath had compared the Lok Sabha election to a contest between ‘Ali’, a revered figure in Islam, and Bajrang Bali, the Hindu god Hanuman. “Agar Congress, SP, BSP ko ‘Ali’ par vishwaas hai toh humein bhi ‘Bajrang Bali’ par vishwaas hai (If the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have faith in Ali, we have faith in Hanuman),” the UP CM had said.
Source: Zee News