The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her ‘envelop’ remarks in Rajasthan related to PM Modi’s temple visit. The notice has been issued under clause 2 of part I ‘General Conduct’ of the Model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates, which prohibits criticism of opponents by invoking their private lives.
The action by the poll panel came after the BJP filed a complaint with the EC alleging that Priyanka Gandhi had violated the Model Code of Conduct while addressing a public rally at Dausa in Rajasthan on October 20, 2023. In that meeting, Priyanka Gandhi said that she saw on TV that when an envelope of donation made by Modi at a Devnarayan temple was opened, it had only Rs 21.
The BJP on Wednesday made a representation to the Election Commission of India and demanded action against Priyanka Gandhi, accusing her of “invoking the personal religious devotion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” to make false claims during her poll campaign. “Today we met members of the Election Commission regarding a statement by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on October 20 that violated the Model Code of Conduct and RP Act. We want to ask ECI if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is above the Model Code of Conduct. We demand ECI to take action against her,” Law Minister Arjun Meghwal had said.
Making the allegation which has already been proven false, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra added that she has seen the news and is not aware if the claim is true or not. She then used it to launch an attack on the BJP, saying that “envelopes” are shown to the public by the party but nothing is found in them after the elections.
The notice says that the poll panel has received a complaint alleging that she made false statements in respect of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in her speech.
The EC notice said that her statement was examined in light of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct and the speech has been found to be prima facie violative of the aforesaid provisions of MCC. The EC notice asks Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to respond by 5 PM on 30 October, showing cause why appropriate action for violation of Model Code of Conduct should not be taken against her.
It is notable that the Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of poll dates in Rajasthan by the EC on 11 October.
The false claim about PM Modi’s ‘envelope’
The allegations by Priyanka Vadra refer to comments by priest Hemraj Poswal of Devnarayan Temple in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara, who claimed that when PM Modi had visited the temple in January this year, he had put an envelope in the donation, and later the envelope was found to have just ₹21. The priest had opened an envelope in front of the camera, claiming that it was the one put by PM Modi in the donation box in front of him. When he opened the envelope, ₹21 was found inside it.
Several Congress leaders and others had used the video of the priest’s claim to attack PM Modi. Congress leader Dheeraj Gurjar even went on to claim that PM Modi “deceived” the Gurjar community as he offered merely Rs 21 in the donation box.
However, it has been established that the entire claim by the priest was false, as visuals from PM Modi’s visit to the temple show that he didn’t use any envelope while putting money inside the donation box. PM Narendra Modi had put some cash in the box, without any envelope, and it is impossible to tell the amount as the cash donated in such donation boxes gets mixed.
Priest Hemraj Poswal was present behind PM Modi when he had put cash without any envelope in the box, but despite that, he went on to claim that a white envelope was used by the PM. And Priyanka Gandhi Vadra repeated that lie in an election rally after the lie was already busted.
