New Delhi, May 8
The Election Commission of India today issued a notice to the Karnataka unit of the BJP to provide “verifiable and traceable” facts by Tuesday evening with regard to its newspaper advertisement that described the Congress as “the most corrupt party in the world”.
The notice has been issued following a complaint the poll panel received from the Congress against the advertisement issued by the BJP’s Karnataka unit.
In its notice to the BJP Karnataka president, the ECI said criticism of the policy and governance of opponent parties “is a right guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution as well as an essential function of various political actors under India’s electoral process”.
“However, while exercising this right and performing this essential function, the political parties are expected to uphold high standards of public discourse and adhere to the various provisions of the model code of conduct and relevant election laws,” the EC notice read.
The poll panel has directed the state unit BJP to “convey the verifiable and traceable facts” regarding the claims made in the advertisement given by the party along with an explanation, if any, by 8 pm on May 9 and also put that in “public domain”.
Earlier, the ECI had issued a similar notice to the Congress for its “corruption rate card” advertisement against the BJP government in the state.
