Congress complains to EC against BJP over ‘fake news’ targeting CM
The Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against BJP over “fake news” allegedly put out from BJP-Karnataka’s official social media handles which claimed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that “Congress did not need Hindu votes and Muslim votes were adequate for them.”
The social media handles had reportedly put out an image that mimics a newspaper clipping that claims the Chief Minister made such a statement. “The image is completely fabricated and it is a false assertion. The Chief Minister has not made such a statement and the news item has not appeared in any newspaper,” said Ramesh Babu, chairman, Media and Communications, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, one of the complainants to the EC.
The complaint alleges that the distribution of fabricated document was being executed directly under the command of B.Y. Vijayendra and R. Ashok and other key figures in the BJP. The complaint argues that this was not only a violation of the Model Code of Conduct but also amounts to a crime under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code for trying to promote enmity between communities. They have demanded that the EC must probe the social media activities of the BJP in Karnataka and get objectionable posts removed. The said controversial post is not there in BJP Karnataka’s social media handles presently.
Meanwhile, acting on a complaint by another Congress functionary Harish Nagaraju, West Division Cybercrime, Economic Offences and Narcotics (CEN) Police have registered a case against seven individuals who posted this fabricated image.