An FIR has been registered against BJP national president JP Nadda, party’s IT cell head Amit Malviya and Karnataka unit chief BY Vijayendra for allegedly intimidating members of the SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate, police said.
In a significant development, the BJP leaders are facing legal action under sections of the Representation of People Act and IPC section 505 (2) (for statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes), following a complaint by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). The complaint, lodged with the Election Commission and Bengaluru police, accuses the BJP leaders of violating the model code of conduct.
Telangana MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arvind Dharmapuri sparked controversy with an animated video posted on Sunday, May 6, which critics argue contains anti-Muslim rhetoric aimed at attacking the Congress. In the video, resembling a political satire, a boat symbolizing the ‘SC, ST, OBC Quota’ is depicted, with individuals representing these communities prepared to embark.
Caricatures resembling Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are seen accommodating a Muslim man into the boat, seemingly indicating Congress’s stance on reservations. However, as more Muslims board the vessel, tensions rise, and the Muslim man is portrayed as betraying the initial passengers by pushing them overboard. The boat’s label transforms from ‘SC, ST, OBC’ to ‘Muslim,’ suggesting a displacement of focus from marginalized communities.
The video takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, depicted as a saviour, responding to the distress calls of those thrown into the water. Accompanied by the triumphant score of “Baahubali 2,” Modi rescues the drowning individuals, symbolizing his intervention to protect the interests of the SC, ST, and OBC communities. The boat carrying Modi bears the inscription ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ invoking religious sentiments.
This video marks the third in a series of BJP productions targeting the Muslim community. In an earlier video shared by BJP Karnataka on May 4, a similar narrative unfolds, wherein Rahul Gandhi is portrayed adding a giant egg labelled ‘Muslims’ to a nest representing the SC, ST, and OBC groups. The depiction of the Muslim egg hatching into a bird more significant than the rest, adorned with traditional attire, insinuates disproportionate favouritism towards the Muslim community. Rahul Gandhi’s character is shown exclusively feeding funds to the burgeoning bird while neglecting the others, leading to their eventual elimination.
According to Ramesh Babu, Chairman of Media and Communication at KPCC, a video circulating on social media features animated characters of Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Babu said, “The said video posted on social media featured animated characters of (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi and (Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah. The BJP finds itself embroiled in controversy as senior leaders face allegations of promoting communal disharmony through a video posted on the party’s official social media handle”. Accused of seeking votes by depicting the Congress as favouring the Muslim community, BJP leaders, including JP Nadda, Amit Malviya, BY Vijayendra, and others, are under scrutiny for portraying SC and ST communities in a derogatory light.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) contends that the video, “kicked by another religion (Muslim) is with an intent to prevent or intimidate a member of Schedule caste or tribe to not vote for a particular candidate attracting offence punishable under Section 3(L)(A) of SC/ST PoA Act 1989.
Ramesh Babu, representing KPCC, asserts that this tactic violates the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989, potentially preventing these communities from exercising their voting rights freely. Babu further accuses the BJP leaders of inciting religious hatred and attempting to disrupt communal harmony.
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The Karnataka Congress has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission against top BJP figures, including national president JP Nadda, social media in-charge Amit Malviya, and state chief BY Vijayendra for allegedly posting a video on social media aimed at “intimidating” members of Schedule Caste/ Schedule Tribe to not vote for Congress in the Lok Sabha polls. Furthermore, the Congress accuses the BJP of violating the Model Code of Conduct by employing animated videos of Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to portray the Congress as favouring Muslims while suppressing SC/ST and OBC communities.
The complaint further said, “It is unfathomable how the State Level Media Monitoring committee approved this video to be uploaded by BJP. In the event of non-certification, why no action has been initiated for using an animated image/video of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah and also defaming the SC/ST and OBC community people by projecting them as ‘EGG.'”
The Congress, in its complaint, further alleges that the BJP’s motive behind posting a video on its official X handle is to garner votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections by portraying the Congress as favouring the Muslim community. The BJP Karnataka’s official X handle shared an animated video in Kannada with a warning caption just a day prior. This video depicted caricatures of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah placing an egg labelled “Muslims” in a nest alongside three eggs marked as “SC, ST, and OBC.” The animation showed Rahul Gandhi exclusively providing “funds” to the bird hatched from the “Muslim” egg.
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