During an election campaign in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on May 18, BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath delivered a controversial speech stating that the Azaan will disappear from mosques within the next five years.
“Today you must be seeing that all the encroachments in Uttar Pradesh have been removed. Now, no one even thinks about riots there. Now, brothers and sisters, no one offers prayers on the streets in Uttar Pradesh. Even the loudspeakers from the mosques have been taken down. In the next five years, you will see that people will forget that these things even existed,” Yogi said.
The campaign for the 2024 general elections has been divisive, with members of the ruling party openly using anti-Muslim rhetoric in public rallies. Earlier this month, PM Modi allegedly called Muslims infiltrators and used a derogatory term against the community.
On Monday, the Law and Policy Research Institute (LPRI) submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra regarding Yogi Adityanath’s speech in Palghar. The LPRI argues that Yogi’s statements undermine the nation’s secular principles and endanger communal harmony, violating the Model Code of Conduct, the Representation of the People Act 1951, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The complaint alleges that his remarks appeal to communal sentiments for votes, criticize opponents beyond their policies, and incite enmity on religious grounds, violating IPC Sections 153A, 295A, and 505(2).
The LPRI said that Yogi’s inflammatory and communal remarks during the rally were deeply offensive and contravened multiple legal provisions aimed at maintaining electoral integrity and communal harmony.
In response to Yogi Adityanath’s comment former chief minister J&K, Ghulam Nabi Azad said “Here came a ruler who closed Azan for 21 years in Kashmir. But such rulers do not stay for a longer period. Those whose positions are in danger they take the support of religion…”
