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EC issues notice to KCR over remarks on Congress leaders
Election Commission issues notice to KCR for derogatory comments against Congress leaders, seeks explanation by Thursday morning.
The Election Commission of India on Wednesday issued a notice to Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao seeking an explanation for his alleged “vulgar and derogatory” comments made against the Congress leaders during a press conference at Siricilla on April 5.
In a letter to the BRS president, Election Commission principal secretary Avinash Kumar said that the Commission had received a complaint from Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee senior vice-president G Niranjan on April 6 stating that KCR “had made certain vulgar, derogatory and objectionable comments against the Congress”.
The EC, in turn, wrote to the state chief electoral officer on April 9, seeking a factual report. Accordingly, the CEO submitted the report on April 10, along with the report from Rajanna Siricilla district election officer.
According to Kumar, the factual report sent by the CEO to the EC revealed that KCR had used foul language against the Congress leaders.
The report also quoted KCR as threatening the Congress leaders that “he would bite their throats and kill them, if they failed to give ₹500 as bonus on the minimum support price for paddy”.
The EC official said as per the model code of conduct, criticism of other political parties should be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work and the leaders should refrain from making comments on private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties.
Kumar said the EC had warned KCR several times in the past including during the 2019 and 2023 elections. He reminded that “KCR was not only the president of BRS but also the former chief minister of Telangana and it is expected of him to follow the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and guidelines and advisory of the EC”.
“Any unverified and unsubstantiated claim without any proof or derogatory remarks made by you has the propensity to malign the image of the political party or candidates in opposition. In the present case, unverified allegations and derogatory remarks made by you pose a risk of maligning the image of the Opposition party/leader and disturb the level playing field and ongoing election process in Telangana,” Kumar said in the letter.
The EC is, prima facie, of the opinion that by making derogatory remarks against the Congress leaders at Siricilla on April 5, KCR had violated the poll code and advisory/instructions of the EC.
Kumar sought an explanation from the BRS president on his comments before 11 am on Thursday.
“In the event of no response from your side within the stipulated time, it will be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and the Election Commission will take appropriate action or decision in the matter without making any further reference to you,” the letter said.
