The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants the Congress' election symbol — the right hand palm — canceled because of the comments made by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at a recent party rally. In the rally, Rahul had said he saw the election symbol of the Congress in the photos of various gods and religious leaders.
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The BJP's demand comes in light of a recent Supreme Court judgment, in which the apex court had barred all political parties from seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, creed or any such platform. Although the verdict was expected to dampen the chances of the BJP, it has ended up putting roadblocks in the path of the Congress this time.
Speaking at the Jan Vedna Sammelan recently, Rahul Gandhi had said: "I found the Congress symbol in Shivji, Guru Nanak, Buddha and Mahavir's pictures. I asked Karan Singhji what does it mean? He said (it means) 'don't be afraid.'" Because this comment mentions religious prophets and Gods, it has been construed by the BJP as an attempt by the Congress to seek votes on the basis of religion.
It now remains to be seen if the Election Commission concurs with the complaint the BJP has registered against Rahul Gandhi, in which the saffron party says: "Rahul Gandhi, at a convention, named as 'Jan Vedna Sammelan' in Delhi on January 11, 2017, made religious comments by correlating the symbol of the Indian National Congress with religious gods such as Shivji, Guru Nanak, Buddha, Mahavir and Islam, violating the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, MCC [Model Code of Conduct] and the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court."
It added: "The Congress party has not disassociated itself from the statements of Shri Rahul Gandhi. Therefore, it has also further violated the Model Code of Conduct. Therefore, it is liable to be proceeded against under Para 16A and 18 of the Election Symbols Order, 1968, and the allotment of hand symbol of the Congress party may kindly be withdrawn with immediate effect, along with cancellation of its recognition as a national party."
