While he has repeatedly invoked the construction of the Ram Temple in poll rallies, on April 12, he accused the opposition of hurting the sentiments by eating non-vegetarian food during Navratri.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated allusions to religion in his campaign speeches in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have raised questions on the violation of the Model Code of Conduct, which expressly bars appeals “to caste or communal feelings for securing votes”. It has turned the spotlight on the role of the Election Commission, as well as whether these speeches constitute “corrupt practices” under the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 that deals with references to appeals on the ground of religion.
While Modi has been referring to his government’s role in the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a longstanding promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and accused the opposition Congress of opposing this temple, the appeal to the Hindus was taken a step further on Friday (April 12).
At a rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, he accused the opposition of hurting the sentiments of the majority community by eating non-vegetarian food during Navratri.
“Congress and the INDI gathbandhan are not bothered about the sentiments of the majority of the people in the country. They have fun playing with the sentiments of the people. During Saawan, someone who is out on bail, someone who has been punished by court, they have gone to such a person’s house during the month of Saawan, and had fun while cooking mutton. Not just this, they have made a video as well to ridicule the people of the country,” he said in Hindi.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.