Shaheen Bagh Tweet 'General Opinion, Not Poll Speech,' Says Kapil Mishra To Election Commission

BJP leader Kapil Mishra has finally replied to the Election Commission of India over his controversial tweets. In a four-page reply, Mishra has categorically stated that the tweets must not be seen as any poll speech. He said that the social media posts were his ‘general opinion’. The BJP candidate from Model Town also said that his statement was ‘taken out of context.’ “My statement must be seen in the context of Pakistan’s attempt at sending their proxies to take undue advantage of a prevailing law and order situation in Delhi. The protesters in Shaheen Bagh are neither in my constituency nor my voters hence my statement will have no impact on them,” Mishra said in his reply to the poll panel.

In his reply, Mishra claimed that anti-India slogans were raised at Shaheen Bagh protests to ‘disturb the communal harmony.’ Mishra went on to say that even religious symbols were being ‘disrespected’ during the protests at Shaheen Bagh. The BJP leader said that he was merely responding to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’a pro-Shaheen Bagh statement. He claimed that Sisodia’s statement is a ‘blatant attempt to derive political mileage from a prevailing law and order situation on religious lines.’ Linking Pakistan with the Shaheen Bagh protests, Mishra claimed that there was a possibility that ‘rogue elements from across the border’ were present in the protests to ‘destabilise our nation.’

Mishra also cited the High Court’s order on a plea against Shaheen Bagh protests. He said that in name of dissent, a group is unlawfully squatting on valuable public space. He also appealed the Shaheen Bagh protesters to call off the stir.

माननीय चुनाव आयोग के नोटिस को मेरा जवाब 👇 pic.twitter.com/7eT7YqoUAJ

— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) January 24, 2020

Earlier in the day, Mishra had said that he stands by what he had said. “I received a notice from Election Commission last night, I'll give my reply today. I don't think I said anything wrong. Speaking truth is not a crime in this country. I spoke the truth. I stand by my statement,” Mishra was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The Returning Officer issued a notice to Mishra over his tweet where the BJP’s Model town candidate had referred upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi as ‘contest between India and Pakistan.’ The notice has been issued after the Election Commission of India (ECI) sought a report from the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on the BJP leader’s tweet.

“On 8th February there will be a contest between India and Pakistan on the streets of Delhi,” the BJP's candidate from Model Town had said in the tweet. In a series of provocative tweets, he also said Pakistani rioters have taken over the streets of Delhi. "No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic," the notice read.