Lok Sabha elections 2024: BJP writes to EC, complaints against Congress' Vijay Wadettiwar for 'inflammatory remarks'

Ashish Shelar. File Pic

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar has written to Election Commission and complaint to the poll agency against Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for his alleged 'inflammatory remarks'.

BJP's Bandra MLA Ashish Shelar has lodged a formal complaint against Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and a prominent campaigner for party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024.

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According to the letter written to the Election Commission, the BJP's complaint pertains to Vijay Wadettiwar's alleged inflammatory, provocative, and misleading public statements made on May 5.

According to Ashish Shelar's complaint, Vijay Wadettiwar's remarks, reported in the media and across social platforms, allegedly propagate false narratives that 'violate the Model Code of Conduct' and also reportedly risk inciting communal tension and causing enmity among communities.

Vijay Wadettiwar's statement, as quoted in the complaint, allegedly suggests that Ujjwal Nikam, a senior lawyer and BJP's Mumbai North Central candidate for Lok Sabha elections 2024, casts aspersions on the circumstances surrounding the death of Hemant Karkare during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The complaint stated about Vijay Wadettiwar's failure to provide evidence to support his claims and also notes the potential consequences of the allegations on national security and communal harmony.

Ashish Shelar, in the complaint, has also emphasized that the Congress, as the political party represented by Vijay Wadettiwar, has not distanced itself from these remarks, indicating tacit support for the narrative.

Ashish Shelar has alleged that Vijay Wadettiwar's statements directly contradict established legal outcomes and court judgments, challenging the authority and integrity of the judiciary. He asserts that such actions constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and incite communal discord, in violation of several provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.

Ashish Shelar in his complaint has appealed to the Election Commission to take resolute measures against Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar and requested actions include directing Wadettiwar to issue an unconditional public apology, restraining him from making further false statements during campaigning, etc against him and investigating the role of the Congress, if any, in allegedly supporting the narrative.