TNR Desk
The Himachal Pradesh BJP has filed another complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress and its Hamirpur Youth Congress Club over alleged derogatory remarks made on various social media platforms against Bollywood actress and BJP candidate from Mandi Kangana Ranaut.
The complaint, addressed to the Election Commission of India through the Himachal Chief Eelctoral Officer, has alleged repeated instances of serious violations of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Representation of People Act, 1951; and model code of conduct by leaders affiliated with the Congress.
Lodged by Himachal media in-charge Karan Nanda, the complaint alleges that the Congress, through its various wings, has been orchestrating a campaign to tarnish the reputation of Kangana Ranaut on social media platforms. The Hamirpur Youth Congress Club is specifically accused of using a picture of Kangana from one of her Bollywood films and posting derogatory double-meaning remarks alongside it, aimed at portraying her in a negative light.
The complaint asserts that such actions not only undermine the dignity of a woman but also violate the model code of conduct and various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to defamation and obscenity. It further contends that such behaviour is a clear infringement of Kangana’s right to dignity and decency as enshrined in the Constitution.
The complaint points out that this is not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of behaviuor exhibited by leaders of the Congress. It calls for appropriate legal action to be taken against the party and its affiliate, stressing the need for adherence to electoral guidelines and laws.
- Following is the original content of the complaint letter:
Respected Sir,
With due regards, we wish to bring into your kind notice the repeated instances of serious violations of provisions of Indian Penal Code, 1860; Representation of People Act, 1951; and Model Code of Conduct by leaders of Indian National Congress.
It is hereby intimated that the Indian National Congress has directed its various wings to assassinate the character of Ms. Kangana Ranaut on social media. In this series of events, now the Hamirpur Youth Congress Club has used a picture of Ms. Kangana Ranaut from her artistic pursuits in order to portray her as a negative character in the eyes of public at large and posted derogatory double meaning remarks upon the same.
The duty of every artist is to portray the character given to him/her as convincingly as they can and every character has its own challenges and requirements. Still the Indian National Congress has ignored this factual aspect and repeatedly using Ms. Ranaut’s artistic pursuits to portray her in a vulgar manner, despite the fact that her convincing portrayal of characters has gained her accolades and national level awards.
The screenshots of derogatory remarks posted on social media by Hamirpur Youth Congress Club is enclosed herewith. The aforesaid Indian National Congress affiliates have misused the social media platform in order to try to demean the candidate setup by the Bharatiya Janta Party from 2-Mandi Parliamentary Constituency in Himachal Pradesh for the Lok Sabha Elections scheduled to be held on 1st June, 2024.
Not only are these remarks derogatory and sexually oriented, which undermine the dignity of a woman; but the same are also violative of the mandatory guidelines of the Modal Code of Conduct. The aforesaid individuals have used vile and vulgar double meaning language on social media platform against Ms. Kangana Ranaut, which is also a clear infringement of her Right to Dignity and Decency as envisaged in Chapter III of the Constitution of India.
Furthermore, the remarks of the aforesaid individuals even attract offences under Section(s) 171-C, 171-G, 499, 500, 503, 504, 505, 506 & 509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with the Information Technology Act, 2000. The remarks of the aforesaid individuals fall within the definition of “corrupt practice” as defined under Section 123(4) of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
The Commission may also take into account that such irresponsible behaviour of leaders of the Indian National Congress follows a dangerous pattern. They are habitual offenders and have a history of violating the provisions of law and the Modal Code of Conduct; and this is not the first time that the leaders of Congress Party have made such scandalous and derogatory remarksn against Ms. Ranaut.
It is emphasised that all the political parties are obligated to comply to the guidelines issued by the Commission and the Rules laid down in the Electoral Statutes and the Modal Code of Conduct. The highly objectionable and indecent statements in public domain clearly shows that the Congress Party has no respect towards the law of the land.
Hence, the Commission is requested to initiate the appropriate legal action against the Indian National Congress; and its affiliate Hamirpur Youth Congress Club for using objectionable, scandalous and offensive language, in the interest of justice and fair play.
