Congress on Monday demanded stern action in the wake of a programme telecast by a TV news channel on the Ayodhya issue, alleging that it had been "specially tailored" to promote Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
"It is apparent that this programme had been specially tailored to propel Modi... by arousing and exploiting the religious sentiments of Hindus," Congress Legal Department Secretary KC Mittal said about the programme which was aired on India News channel.
In a complaint to Election Commission, Mittal said that the programme repeatedly flashed full-size photographs of Modi and LK Advani with a temple in the background and the slogan "Modi-Advani Bolenge, Hey Ram".
"The (purpose) behind such a story at a time when general elections have been announced... is quite obvious," Mittal said in the complaint while alleging that it was a clear case of violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Such stories and reports tend to promote a feeling of enmity and hatred amongst the people, thus vitiating the entire election process, he charged.
The programme was also not in line with the National Broadcasting Standards Authority guidelines for the airing of news pertaining to elections in a fair and balanced manner, Mittal said. NBSA guidelines also provide for the monitoring of content aired by news broadcasters, he added.
"It is therefore requested that the footage of the story in possession of India News may be requisitioned... and stern action taken against all persons, directly or indirectly, individually or collectively, involved in the violation of the Model Code of Conduct," he said.
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