The group, Loktantra Bachao 2024, approached the state’s chief electoral officer with a complaint but said that the official did not engage with them.
By Scroll Staff
A coalition of civil society organisations in Jharkhand on Monday approached the state’s chief electoral officer seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misleading people with “inflammatory comments” targeting Muslims.
The collective, named Loktantra Bachao 2024 [Save Democracy 2024], complained to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar against speeches that Modi had made on May 3 in Chaibasa and on May 4 in Palamu. In a subsequent statement, they expressed concern that Kumar “showed no sign” that he would act on the complaint.
Four activists – Jean Dreze, Elina Horo, Siraj Dutta and Tom Kavla – comprised the delegation that met with Kumar on Monday.
In the earmarked speeches, Modi alleged that the Congress intends to divert reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes for the benefit of Muslims – a false claim that he has made several times on the campaign trail in recent weeks.
The Congress manifesto, in reality, does not make any mention of religion-based reservations.
The activists also told the electoral officer that Modi had made fabricated facts to the effect that the Congress was planning to rob Adivasis and other communities of their property, which would be redistributed among Muslims.
This story was originally published in scroll.in. Read the full story here.