The Congress party has criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) for issuing a show cause notice to its president, Mallikarjun Kharge, after he referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'terrorist' during a press conference in Chennai. Kharge made this statement while campaigning for the Tamil Nadu elections, asserting that Modi was undermining democracy. In response to the notice, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh emphasized that Kharge did not violate the model code of conduct and requested additional time to respond, citing the short notice period of just 24 hours as insufficient. Ramesh also pointed out inconsistencies in the notices received, suggesting that they were issued without proper consideration. The Congress party accused the ECI of favoring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), highlighting two instances of alleged violations by the BJP that went unaddressed. Kharge defended his remarks, stating that he intended to convey that Modi was 'terrorising' the democratic structure rather than labeling him a terrorist in a literal sense. Meanwhile, a high-level BJP delegation met with the ECI, demanding action against Kharge and expressing their discontent over his comments, which they deemed disrespectful.