File photo of Narendra Modi at a rally in Patna
Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) complained to the Election Commission (EC) against Rahul Gandhi's controversial "ISI" remarks, Congress has approached the poll watchdog seeking stern action against Narendra Modi for his "khooni panja" barb against the party.
In its communication to Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath, Congress accused the BJP's prime ministerial candidate of making "intemperate, malicious and defamatory" remarks by referring to the hand symbol, allotted by the Commission to Congress, as "Khooni Panja" and "Jalim Haath".
"The use of the expression 'khooni panja' is extremely significant and deplorable and has an effect of terrorising the public at large against Congress," the party has said in its petition.
The Congress move to approach the EC last night came days after the poll body notice to the party's vice president Rahul Gandhi over his remark that Pakistani intelligence agency was in touch with some victims of Muzaffarnagar violence.
After BJP's petition to EC in this regard, Mr Gandhi was served a notice to which he had replied on Friday last stating that he had not violated the moral code of conduct.
Congress also sent to the EC a DVD of Mr Modi's speech at Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh on Thursday in which he had made the remarks as well as clippings of a newspaper report.
The party also sent the text of Mr Modi's speech in which the BJP leader had said, "Yadi aap chahte hain ki Chattisgarh ke upar kisi khooni panje ka saya na pade to aap sabhi kamal mein button dabana aur Chhattisgarh ko khooni panje se bachana. (If you want that the shadow of bloodied hand does not fall on Chhattisgarh, press the button on Lotus)".
The party has alleged that Mr Modi then went on to say - "Jalim hatho mein Chhattisgarh ko dena chahate ho? Galti se bhee jalim panja ke hatho me Chattisgarh nahi jane dena. (Do you want to give away Chattisgarh to brutal hands....Don't let Chhatisgarh slip into the grip of brutal hands even by mistake)."