Gandhinagar, Nov 27 (India Today): The Gandhinagar district election officer has served a notice to the archbishop of Gandhinagar for his letter appealing for prayers against "nationalist forces".

The Gandhinagar district election officer has sought clarification why his letter should not be treated as violation of model code of conduct.

Election Commission has issued the notice to an NGO and the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has sent a complaint to the election commission of India.

The LRO letter says the letter issued by the archbishop is an attempt to "generate fear" among voters and to "divide people on the basis of caste and creed" along with "baseless allegations" against 'nationalist forces'.

The letter has also sought immediate 'action' against the archbishop.

The archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar had written a letter urging members of the Christian community to save the country from "nationalist forces" as he said the "democratic fabric" of the country was at stake, amidst a growing "sense of insecurity" among minorities.Indirectly targeting the ruling BJP in the state, archbishop Thomas Macwan appealed to the minority community to help elect those candidates, who respect every human being without discrimination, to the state Assembly.

He said the nationalist forces were "on the verge of taking over the country", which is why the Gujarat elections could make a difference.