EC Asks Police To File FIR Against BJP’s Kapil Mishra For Communal Tweet
NEW DELHI : The Election Commission has asked the police to file a complaint against BJP leader Kapil Mishra over a communal tweet made against those protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act ahead of the assembly polls.The poll body had earlier asked Twitter to remove the post that referred to protest spots in the city as “mini-Pakistans”, terming it as a “highly objectionable” comment that “appeals to communal feelings”.
In the tweet posted on Thursday, Mr Mishra had referred to Shaheen Bagh, the site of one of the most prominent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the country, as an entry point for Pakistan. “Pakistan is entering through Shaheen Bagh, and mini-Pakistans are being created in Delhi…Shaheen Bagh, Chand Bagh, Inderlok. The law is not followed here and Pakistani rioters are occupying the roads,” he posted in Hindi.
In another post, he compared the Delhi election on February 8 to an “India vs Pakistan” clash. Mr Mishra has been issued a notice over the controversial tweets, and asked to file an explanation within a day. He has sought three days to reply. “I don’t think I said anything wrong. Speaking truth is not a crime in this country. I spoke the truth. I stand by my statement,” the BJP candidate said.
Stirring pre-poll controversy, Mishra tweeted that the elections on February 8 were a poll fight between India Vs Pakistan – equating BJP to India and its opponents to Pakistan.
When asked to comment on his tweet, he stood by his comments claiming that there are ‘mini Pakistans’ in Delhi. Fuelling more controversy, he added that India will stand against these mini Pakistans and every problem will be solved on February 8 – the day Delhi goes to polls.
The Election Commission on Friday asked Twitter to remove a controversial post by BJP candidate from Model Town Assembly constituency, Kapil Mishra, in which he likened the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections to India versus Pakistan contest.
In his tweet yesterday, Mr Mishra had referred to Shaheen Bagh, the site of one of the most prominent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the country, as an entry point for Pakistan. “Pakistan is entering through Shaheen Bagh and mini-Pakistans are being created in Delhi…Shaheen Bagh, Chand Bagh, Inderlok.
The law is not followed here and Pakistani rioters are occupying the roads,” he had tweeted in Hindi.In another post, he had compared the February 8 Delhi election to an “India vs Pakistan” clash.
The election commission’s notice refers to the model code of conduct and says Mr Mishra’s comments violate the rule against “aggravating differences or creating mutual hatred or causing tension between different communities”.Mr Mishra has been called out on many recent communal and incendiary tweets.
The 39-year-old is contesting the election as the BJP candidate from Model Town. A former close aide of Arvind Kejriwal, he fell out with AAP after publicly accusing the CM and a minister of corruption.
AAP had earlier this week asked the Chief Election Officer to cancel Mr Mishra’s nomination. The party said it was a rule for those who used government accommodation to furnish no-dues certificate for water, electricity and telephone expenses, but Mr Mishra had not even mentioned it in his nomination papers. The results of the Delhi election will be announced on February 11.
(With Agency Inputs ).
