EC Imposes Pan-India Ban On Congress’s ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ Ad Campaign; Cancels Media Certificate
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Thursday (18 April) imposed a pan- India ban on Congress’ “Chowkidar Chor Hai” campaign, dealing a severe blow to the party’s election agenda, reports NDTV.
The order to ban the campaign first stemmed from EC’s state unit in Madhya Pradesh (MP) and was later made effective across the country. "If one state has banned it then it will not be shown in other states also," said EC.
However, according to senior deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha, aggrieved parties can appeal against the decision.
In response to BJP’s 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, in which Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi asked citizens to take a pledge against corruption, and social evils, Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacked the PM with the "Chowkidar chor hai" slogan, accusing him of unsubstantiated corruption claims.
BJP objected to the campaign, stating that it was a personal attack on the Prime Minister.
Following this, the joint chief election officer informed all the state district officers in MP to disallow the Congress ad campaign since the poll body had already cancelled the media certification.
Offensive To Workers
The RSS-affiliate workers’ union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has also argued that Rahul Gandhi’s remark is offensive to security guards who work hard to protect other people’s life and property, and has threatened to launch a nation-wide strike over the ‘derogatory’ remark.