With Congress leaders feverishly pitching for caste census and Prime Minister Narendra Modi betting big on the Ram Temple ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission (EC) has said that no appeal should be made on the basis of caste and communal feelings of electors.
In a set of advisories issued on Friday, March 1, to the political parties, the election body said no temple, mosque, gurdwara or any other place of worship could be used for election propaganda or electioneering.
“No appeal shall be made on the basis of caste or communal feelings of the electors. No activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes/communities/religious/linguistic groups can be attempted,” the EC said.
“References that ridicule the relations between devotee and deity or suggestions of divine censure shall not be made,” it said. The poll body went on to add that political parties and leaders should not make false statements and utterances aimed at misleading the voters.