Jairam Ramesh (File photo) NEW DELHI: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah of making divisive and slanderous statements in election rallies, Congress on Thursday petitioned Election Commission seeking action against BJP functionaries for violations of election conduct rules. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote to EC, giving details of the speeches delivered by Modi and Shah in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. He said Modi in his speeches accused Congress functionaries Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi of being opposed to SC, ST and OBCs, and repeated the unfounded charges in various rallies, while also linking Pakistan to Congress.

He said the claims were clearly designed to promote religious and caste animosity. He made similar charges against Shah. Ramesh demanded that EC lodge FIRs against the two BJP functionaries and ban them from electioneering immediately.

“Our complaints to Election Commission against the PM and the Union home minister for their divisive, false, and malicious speeches given in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. We have asked EC to investigate BJP and its functionaries for their brazen electoral violations. We hope EC acts on these complaints with the urgency they require,” he wrote on X.

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