Words are flying thick and fast just as is expected during this election time with political parties trying to bring voters around to their point of view and vote for them. Problems, however, arise when these words cross the sacred line drawn by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and as embodied in its Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The Model Code of Conduct for guidance of political parties and candidates is a set of norms which has been evolved with the consensus of political parties who have consented to abide by the principles embodied in the said code and also binds them to respect and observe it in its letter and spirit. The essential objective of the MCC is to keep the elections clean and provide a level playing field to all contending parties. In the sharply polarised polity that India has become over the years, however, this is easier said than done as has been proven time and again.
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Two guidelines in the MCC stand out:
1. No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic.
2.There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, Churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as forum for election propaganda. Unfortunately, no sooner was the first phase of Lok Sabha elections completed, on April 19, a major controversy arose over religion and community with none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming under the glare and accused of violating the code that is supposed to be revered.
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At a rally in Rajasthan, Modi cited the Congress manifesto to say that if elected to power, party will distribute the gold with the “mothers and sisters”, to Muslims. "Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right to the country's assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed amongst those who have more children and infiltrators,” he told the gathering and asked whether they would allow their hard-earned money to be given away to “infiltrators.” He repeated it in several rallies subsequently and, on his part, even Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is reported to have mentioned it in his election meetings in Kerala. As was to be expected, a delegation of Congress leaders approached the Election Commission and submitted complaints against the prime minister, urging it to take action against him for his 'redistribution of wealth' speech. The Congress alleged that Modi was lying and was creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims. The Election Commission has taken cognisance of it which happens to be a first against a sitting prime minister; opposition parties had alleged MCC violation by Modi in 2019 as well, but the ECI had then given him a clean chit. It is also for the first time that the ECI has sent the notice to the BJP president and not to the prime minister to reply by 11 AM on April 29. A similar notice has also been sent to the Congress president on complaint of MCC violation received against Rahul Gandhi although of different nature. So, who will the ECI act against if any wrong is found to have been committed by Modi and Gandhi?
Over the years, people’s faith in the ECI has eroded. Such instances present the poll panel with opportunities to redeem itself and restore faith of the people in the country's electoral system.