BJP complains to EC against Kharge over ‘inflammatory’ Assam speech, ‘illiterate’ Gujarat remark

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission (EC), demanding an FIR against the Congress party and a show-cause notice to its president, Mallikarjun Kharge. The move targets his recent remarks at a rally in Assam, described by the BJP as "communal and inflammatory".

A BJP delegation, including Union ministers Virendra Kumar and Arjun Ram Meghwal, submitted a memorandum accusing Kharge of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). They claim he addressed a rally of mostly Muslim voters in Nilambazar ahead of Assam's Assembly polls, invoking the Quran to liken the BJP and RSS to "poisonous snakes".

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Meghwal highlighted the peril in these words: "On April 7, while holding a responsible position as the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, during election campaigning, he addressed a particular community and said as written in the Quran, if a poisonous snake passes by while people are offering namaz, one should leave the prayers and kill it. Such statements provoke people and incite sections of the society."

The BJP alleges this amounts to incitement to violence, misuse of religion for votes, and promotion of enmity—offences under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on hurting religious sentiments and provoking unrest. They have urged the EC to bar Kharge from all election rallies, public meetings, or speeches, and demand he withdraw the comments with a public apology.

The complaint also slams Kharge for labelling people in Gujarat and other states "illiterate" during a rally in Kerala's Idukki on Sunday. He had contrasted them with Kerala voters, calling the latter "educated and clever". Meghwal condemned this as an insult: "We have demanded that he apologise publicly and sincerely."

"The people of Gujarat and other states will not tolerate such insults," Meghwal added, linking it to a broader decline in Congress discourse since Rahul Gandhi became Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He noted increasing use of "abusive language" by senior leaders.

Meghwal stressed the timing: "At a time when the Model Code of Conduct is in force across states, and under election law and criminal law, such statements cannot be made. Inciting a particular community or provoking religious sentiments is a criminal offence."

The EC has assured the delegation of appropriate action, amid heightened scrutiny on campaign rhetoric as polls heat up in multiple states.