The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday sought reply from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on complaint by Congress and other opposition parties about Prime Minister Modi's speech of April 21 in Rajasthan's Banswara.
PM Modi on Sunday triggered a debate after making a statement at the rally in Rajasthan, which sparked reactions by a section of people and the Congress party.
Addressing the rally in Rajasthan's Banswara on Sunday, PM Modi said the Congress plans to give people's hard-earned money and valuables to "infiltrators" and "those who have more children", naming the Muslim community.
"This urban Naxal mindset, my mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your 'mangalsutra'. They can go to that level," PM Modi had said on Sunday, after which Congress said it would "educate" the Prime Minister about its manifesto.
Since then, BJP has been at loggerheads with Congress and other opposition parties over the "wealth distribution" claims.
Apart from PM Modi, the EC on Thursday took cognisance of alleged Model Code of Conduct violations by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi as well. Sharing the said model code violation allegations against PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi with BJP, Congress chiefs, the EC sought their response by April 29.
The BJP on Monday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was making a false claim about the rise in poverty in the country and urged the Election Commission to take "strict action" against him.
Lodging a complaint with the EC, the BJP also accused Rahul Gandhi of continuing to create a North-South divide in the country on the basis of language and region to vitiate the poll atmosphere.
The Congress approached the poll body on Monday and formally lodged a complaint seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
