The Election Commission (EC) has asked the Congress party to clarify and rectify a tweet posted on May 6, in which Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson, had allegedly expressed the party’s commitment to safeguarding Karnataka’s sovereignty. The request came after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) complained to the EC, accusing the tweet of violating the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The BJP stated that any call to protect the sovereignty of a member state of the Union of India amounts to a call for secession and is “fraught with perilous & pernicious consequences.”
The EC’s letter to Mallikarjun Kharge, the President of the Congress party, said, “In view of the above, you are requested to clarify and take rectification measures in respect of the social media post which has been put up on the INC Twitter handle and attributed to Chairperson, CPP.”
The tweet in question was posted after Sonia Gandhi’s campaign rally in Hubballi in Karnataka on May 6. It read, “CPP Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji sends a strong message to 6.5 crore Kannadigas: ‘The Congress will not allow anyone to pose a threat to Karnataka’s reputation, sovereignty or integrity’.”
The BJP has criticized the Congress for the tweet, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders accusing the Congress of promoting secessionism. The Congress party is yet to respond to the EC’s letter.
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