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The Election Commission on Monday asked the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party to provide "verifiable and traceable" facts by Tuesday evening regarding its newspaper advertisement describing the Congress as "the most corrupt party in the world".
In another development in the same day, the poll panel has asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to clarify and rectify the party's social media post on Karnataka's sovereignty remark attributed to Sonia Gandhi after the BJP approached the EC with a complaint.
Earlier, on a complaint by the BJP, the poll panel had issued a similar notice to the Congress over its "corruption rate card" advertisement.
The Election Commission served a notice to the Karnataka BJP over its advertisement after the Congress approached the poll panel.
In its notice, the commission said criticism of the policy and governance of opponent parties is a right guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution as well as an essential function of various political actors under India's electoral process.
"However, while exercising this right and performing this essential function, the various political parties are expected to uphold high standards of public discourse and adhere to the various provisions of the model code and relevant laws," it said.
The commission has directed the state BJP to "convey the verifiable and traceable facts" regarding the claims made in the advertisement given by them along with an explanation, if any, by 8 pm on May 9 and also put that in "public domain".
The EC said if no proof is provided, the BJP should come up with reasons on as to why action should not be initiated against it for violating the MCC (model code of conduct) and relevant legal provisions under the Representation of the People Act and the Indian Penal Code.
The high octane campaigning for the May 10 Karnataka assembly poll ended this evening.
The EC letter to the AICC president came following a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party regarding a tweet which appeared on the official Twitter handle of the Indian National Congress on May 6.
In its complaint, the BJP has alleged, "Karnataka is a very important member state in the union of India and any call to protect the sovereignty of a member state of the Union of India amounts to a call for secession and is fraught with perilous & pernicious consequences.”
The BJP also alleged in its complaint to the EC that the tweet is violative of the mandatory oath undertaken by the political parties under section 29A (5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 at the time of registration.
"In view of the above, you are requested to clarify and take rectification measures in respect of the social media post which has been put up on the INC Twitter handle and attributed to chairperson, CPP," the EC letter read.
A former Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi is currently the Congress parliamentary party chairperson.
After Gandhi addressed a campaign rally in Hubballi in Karnataka on Saturday, the Congress tweeted from its official handle: "CPP chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji sends a strong message to 6.5 crore Kannadigas: 'The Congress will not allow anyone to pose a threat to Karnataka's reputation, sovereignty or integrity'."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have attacked the Congress over the remark.