The Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) has banned three video ads of the BJP from being aired. The committee had acted on a complaint filed by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. The committee ordered the media on Friday against airing or sharing the ads on the grounds that they violated the Election Commission guidelines.

According to PTI, the complaint was filed by MLS VS Ugrappa on behalf of the KPCC. “The Commissioner of the Department of Information and Public Relations, Harsha PS, in his order, banned airing of ‘Jana Virodhi Sarkara’ (anti-people government), ‘Viphala Sarkara’ (failed government), both of 35 second duration, and ‘Mooru Bhagya’ (three fortunes) of 50 seconds,” the order said, adding that the video advertisements violated the Election Commission guidelines.

The permission for these three ads was given to Ganesh Yaji, state office secretary of the BJP, on April 22. Ugrappa’s complaint said the advertisements were also contrary to the provisions of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Representation of People’s Act. The complaint said, “Series of television advertisements have also been published and broadcast across various TV channels in Karnataka, which is absolutely false and unverified claims, amounting to further attacks on the integrity and personal image of the chief minister.”

With polling just days away, both the Congress and the BJP are going all out with their campaigning. The Congress has released its manifestos even as the BJP has come out with 225 manifestos. Earlier, Congress President Rahul Gandhi ran into controversy when he cut short the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ during an election rally as he was running out of time.