Election Commission Asks X To Take Down 'Objectionable Post' By Karnataka BJP

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed X (Formerly Twitter) to take down a post shared by the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it deems "objectionable".

The post in question is an animated video that appears to suggest the Congress party is engaging in "Muslim appeasement" by extending reservations to the Muslim community at the expense of other groups. 

In a letter to X, the ECI stated that the post violates the extant legal framework and that an FIR has already been registered in the matter. The commission directed X to take down the post immediately.

"I am directed to inform that the post of 'BJP4Karnataka' is violative of extant legal framework. An FIR has already been registered in the matter. It is further brought to your notice that Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka through Cyber Crime Division, Bengaluru has already directed X on 05.05.2024 to take down the objectionable post. However, the post has not been taken down yet," the letter by poll panel read.

"Therefore, 'X' is directed to take down the post immediately. This is issued with the approval of the competent authority," it added.

What Is The Post?

The post in question features an animated video that appears to underline the BJP's claim of Muslim appeasement by the Congress. The video depicts Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as "eggs" in a basket representing reservation. 

An animated character of Rahul Gandhi is shown planting another "egg" representing the Muslim community into the same basket. The video then shows the "Muslim" hatchling growing bigger and kicking the three others out, as Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah are laughing.

The Congress had lodged a complaint with the state's chief electoral officer on Sunday, May 5, against BJP's IT Cell head Amit Malviya, party chief JP Nadda, party state president BY Vijayendra, and the Karnataka BJP social media team. The complaint alleged that the post was shared "clearly with an intention to wantonly provoke rioting and promote enmity between different religions".

The controversy comes amidst a heated political climate in Karnataka, where the BJP and Congress are engaged in a bitter battle over the issue of Muslim reservation. Several BJP stalwarts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, have accused Congress of planning to extend reservations to Muslims by "robbing" the quotas of SCs, STs, and OBCs.