ECI faults AAP for violating advertising guidelines in party's poll campaign song

New Delhi: For the first time ever, the Election Commission of India has aksed the AAP modify its election campaign song as per the Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 and ECI guidelines and resubmit after modification, for the certification.

The ECI faulted the party for using the phrase "jail ke jawaab me hum vote denge" during which a mob is seen holding the photo of party president and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal behind the bars. The ECI opined that the content was casting aspersions on the judiciary.

Further, the ECI pointed out that the said phrase appears several times in the advertisement which contravenes the provisions of ECI Guidelines and Rule 6(1-(g) of Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994.

Taking objection to the ECI's remarks, Delhi minister Atishi said that the BJP was using another political weapon.

"This has happened for the first time in the history of India, that the Election Commission has put a ban on the election song of a political party. The same Election Commission ignores the violation of the MCC done everyday by the BJP... The EC says that our campaign song puts the Directors of CBI and ED in a bad light... The ECI does not object when the ED, CBI, and other cases on political leaders are shut as soon as they join the BJP, but when we mention that in our campaign song, the ECI objects to it... ECI says that if you talk about dictatorship, this is a criticism of the ruling party. This means that ECI also believes that the BJP is a dictatorship government...," she said.