The Election Commission issued a stern warning to the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, asking it to stop putting out inflammatory print advertisements that alleged the Grand Alliance was trying to appease “another community”. The regulatory body also prohibited the media from carrying such advertisements and threatened to take action against the printer and publishers of any newspapers who did so.

The BJP had sent out an ad in local papers claiming the Janata Dal (United)-Rashtriya Janata Party-Congress alliance had conspired to “snatch from the plates of Dalits and give them away to another community”. A second ad claimed that the Grand Alliance was giving sanctuary to terrorists to appease a part of the community for votes. The commission said these ads could spark tensions during the ongoing Bihar elections, which has already been marred with communal controversies.

Both the Grand Alliance and the BJP had complained about each other to the commission earlier on Friday.