A screengrab from video showing actors portraying Hemant Soren, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav.
Credit: X/@BJP4Jharkhand
New Delhi: BJP's Jharkhand unit has come under the radar of the Election Commission with police registering a case against it for violating Model Code of Conduct on charges of posting "false and misleading" videos on social media targeting I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders and calling them "anti-tribals".
Sources said on Monday that the Cyber Crime police station in Jharkhand's Ranchi has filed the FIR and written to Facebook for removing the objectionable posts on the handle 'BJP4Jharkhand' under Section 69(A) of the IT Act.
The action comes as the Congress on Sunday approached the EC against the video advertisement in which actors resembling Rahul Gandhi, Hemant Soren, Kalpana Soren and Tejashwi Yadav made comments that were "blatantly" false.
With Jharkhand going to polls on November 13 and 20, the Congress has said that video with baseless allegations would unduly influence voters to dissuade them from voting for any opposition party. It argued that the video would help BJP make unfair electoral gains in Jharkhand.
The video showed actors resembling the I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders making comments like pay money and get question papers in advance, a former Prime Minister ordering police to shoot protesters demanding Jharkhand and one party being opposed to the formation of a separate state.
In a memorandum submitted to the EC, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh has said the content of the advertisement is in "complete violation" of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
He had demanded that the EC directs the immediate takedown of all videos and consequently takes urgent action against the BJP and its official Facebook handle for Jharkhand i.e. 'BJP4Jharkhand’.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.