Brinda Karat Questions "Credibility" Of Poll Body Over PM Modi's Speech

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat raised questions about the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI) following what she calls "a shocking statement" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to Ms Karat, the Prime Minister's words violated Indian laws against inciting communal enmity and hate speech, yet the ECI has failed to take appropriate action.

"The Prime Minister is a citizen of India. The Prime Minister is not above the citizens of India. The Prime Minister is not above the law of India. The Prime Minister has to accept the laws of India. When the Prime Minister violates the laws of India which are against spreading enmity between communities, against spreading hatred between a community, he should be taken to task by the law," Karat said.

"The Election Commission's role in this is completely shocking. What is the credibility of the Election Commission if they don't take action against the Prime Minister?" she added.

Ms Karat described the Prime Minister's speech as "almost unbelievable" for a leader of a secular nation like India.

"It is an absolutely shocking statement coming from the Prime Minister. It is almost unbelievable that the Prime Minister of a secular country like India should speak in words, quite frankly, he speaks as though a communal bigot speech. It is not befitting the Prime Minister of India. In the elections, to use such language, a) It is hate speech, extreme hate speech," Ms Karat said.

She accused him of targeting a specific community and using hate speech to mobilize votes during election season.

Further the CPI(M) leader revealed that she had filed a police complaint against the Prime Minister, citing sections of the Indian Penal Code related to hate speech and communal violence. However, Karat expressed frustration that her complaint was initially refused at a local police station, forcing her to send it directly to the Police Commissioner of Delhi.

"I have written a complaint and cited certain sections of the penal code of India and I have filed a Police complaint and it is really shocking that the Police station refused to accept the complaint and I had to send the complaint to the Police Commissioner of Delhi," Ms Karat said.

Ms Karat's remarks came after Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress's manifesto talks about taking "the gold of mothers and sisters" and distributing that wealth.

"Their Mangalsutra, the question is not of the cost of gold in it, it is linked to her dreams of her life. You are talking of snatching it in your manifesto...will distribute gold and redistribute. When it was their government, they had said that Muslims have the first right over the country's wealth. Who will you distribute after collecting the wealth, distribute it to those who have more children, and distribute it to infiltrators. Will the money of your hard labour be given to infiltrators, is this acceptable to you? Congress manifesto is saying that they will calculate the gold of mothers, sisters and then redistribute the wealth to those whom the Manmohan Singh government had said that the first right to resources is of Muslims. Brothers, sisters, this thinking of urban Naxals, my mothers, sisters, they will not allow even your Mangalsutra to remain in your possession, they will go to this extent," PM Modi had said at a rally on April 21.

PM Modi was referring to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks made in December 2006 that the minorities, particularly Muslim minorities, should have first claim on the country's resources.

All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 26. Counting will be held on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)