EC Issues Show-Cause Notice To Rahul Gandhi Over 'Panauti', 'Pickpocket' Barbs

The Election Commission of India on Thursday issued notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on his 'panauti' and 'pickpocket' jibes at PM Modi, asks him to respond by 25th November.

On Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodged a complaint with the Election Commission regarding Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi referred to Modi as a 'bad omen' and 'pickpocket' during a rally in Rajasthan, insinuating that Modi's actions have negatively impacted the country.

During the rally, Gandhi alleged that Modi's interventions, like discussing Hindu-Muslim issues, demonetization, and GST on television, were tactics to divert public attention. He likened this distraction to a coordinated effort involving three individuals-a frontal distraction by Modi, while industrialist Adani purportedly takes advantage from behind by siphoning off money.

Continuing his narrative, Gandhi suggested that this collective effort resembled a pickpocketing scenario, where three people work in unison-one engaging from the front, another from the back, and a third person from a distance. He used the metaphor to illustrate how he believes the government and certain industrialists collaborate to manipulate public focus and financial interests.