The BJP has said the Election Commission must “reprimand, censure, and restrain” Rahul Gandhi from “handing out lies during campaigning” for next week’s Maharashtra election.

The ruling party called on the poll panel to act against the Congress MP for “gross violation” of the Model Code of Conduct, referring to a section of speech in Mumbai last week; in a written complaint to the EC Monday afternoon, the BJP said Mr Gandhi had “falsely accused other states of stealing and snatching alleged opportunities from the state of Maharashtra”.

The reference was to Mr Gandhi’s “totally unverified claims… that Apple’s iPhones and Boeing’s airplanes are being manufactured in other states at the expense of Maharashtra”.

The BJP also called on the poll panel to direct a police case be filed against Mr Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. “We told them Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi spoke lies in Maharashtra… he said BJP wants to crush the Constitution,” Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who led the saffron party delegation that met top election officials, said.

A political controversy has broken out over an alleged racist remark by Karnataka Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan against Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy. Mr Kumaraswamy’s party has hit back at Mr Khan and demanded that the Congress government sack him from the Cabinet.

The leader issued the remark while talking about Channapatna Congress candidate CP Yogeeshwara who had joined BJP but came back to the Congress recently.

“Due to some differences in our party (Congress), he contested as an independent. He had no option but to join the BJP. He was not ready to join the JD(S) because ‘Kaaliya Kumaraswamy’ was more dangerous than the BJP. Now he (Yogeeshwara) has come back home,” the state minister said.

“Kaaliya” is a racist slur for dark-complexioned people.

Mr Yogeeshwara is contesting the Channapatna assembly bypoll against Mr Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy who is contesting as an NDA candidate on the JD(S) ticket.

JD(S) termed Mr Khan’s remark “racist” and sought to know the colour of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, ministers HC Mahadevappa, Satish Jarakiholi, Priyank Kharge and KH Muniyappa.

The nation vehemently condemns the disgraceful and racially charged remarks by Zameer Ahmed against HD Kumaraswamy. This kind of hateful language marks a new low in political discourse and has no place in a civilized society. We demand accountability from leaders who choose… https://t.co/teH4kZbzmN

— Janata Dal Secular (@JanataDal_S) November 11, 2024

Calling it a “new low in the political discourse”, the JD(S), posted on X: “Dismiss such a low mentality person from the Cabinet immediately”.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijijy also condemned Mr Khan’s remark. “I strongly deplore Congress Minister Zameer Ahmed calling Union Minister & Ex CM of Karnataka Sh. Kumaraswamy as ‘Kaalia Kumaraswamy’. This is a racist remark, same as Rahul Gandhi’s adviser calling South Indians look like Africans, North East as Chinese, North Indians as Arabs,” he posted on ‘X’.