Narendra Modi's controversial "khooni panja" barb at Congress could return to bother the BJP prime ministerial candidate with the ruling party deciding to approach Election Commission over the remarks.
Days after BJP complained to the poll watchdog against Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's statements, AICC has decided to approach EC over Modi's remarks, possibly on Monday.
"What can be a more glaring example than this of the violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The language of BJP's PM candidate at recent rallies has crossed all limits. We will approach EC," said a party functionary speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Yadi aap chahte hain ki Chhattisgarh ke upar kisi khooni panje ka saya na pade to aap sabhi kamal mein button dabana aur Chhattisgarh ko khooni panje se bachana (If you want to save Chhattisgarh from the murderous hand, then press the button alongside the lotus symbol)," Modi had reportedly said at a rally at Dongargarh.
Congress is also learnt to have taken strong objection to another remark by Modi, at a rally in Bahraich, in which he said, "I feel that in the next elections it would not be the trio of Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress which would be in the election fray. I feel that in the next elections CBI and Indian Mujahideen... They would take care of the elections so as to save the fortress of Congress."
BJP, in its complaint to EC, had protested against Gandhi's claim that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence was in touch with some of the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots. The complaint had seen EC issuing a notice to Gandhi.
The Congress Vice-President yesterday responded to the notice, defending his remarks and maintaining that he had not violated the Model Code.
There is a view within Congress that Modi's "murderous paw" and "CBI and Indian Mujahideen" remarks were "much more serious" than Gandhi's statements on the basis of which EC had served a notice to him.
