Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has barred former Telangana chief minister and president of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti K. Chandrashekar Rao from election campaigns for 48 hours starting 8 pm on Wednesday (May 1) over his derogatory remarks against the Congress at a media conference in Sircilla town on April 5.
He was restrained by the poll body from addressing public meetings, participating in processions and rallies, as well as giving interviews or speaking at media conferences for the two days.
The ECI initiated action against him on a complaint by the Congress that Rao spoke at the Sircilla media conference about a party leader insulting women by asking them to sell condoms and papads to make a living.
Rao was also quoted as saying that “lathkors” (underprivileged people) were ruling the state.
He said the state had gone into the hands of useless and good-for-nothing people and that the government was headed by lathkors.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
“We will throttle your throats and kill you if you fail to give Rs 500 as bonus for every quintal of foodgrains procured from farmers,” Rao said.
Following the complaint, the ECI sought a factual report from Telangana’s chief electoral officer. Upon receipt of this report, the ECI served a show-cause notice to Rao.
Rao sought an extension of the deadline to reply to the commission’s notice and finally sent his version on April 23. He said the complaint was made by selectively picking portions of his address to the media conference out of context.
Alleging that the election officers were not Telugu-speaking people who could comprehend the local dialect, Rao said he merely spoke on the policies and programmes of the Congress and made no personal attack on its leaders.
He urged the Congress leaders to deliver promises made in the run up to the last assembly elections in Telangana, he said.
After perusing his reply, the commission in its four-page order recalled that it had issued an order to Rao even during the parliament elections in 2019 to be cautious in his public speeches. He was again put on notice to follow the model code of conduct ahead of the November 2023 assembly elections.
Now, the ECI condemned his remarks and reprimanded him, invoking its constitutional rights.
Rao was addressing a road show in Mahabubabad as part of his bus yatra to campaign on his party’s behalf when the ECI’s direction was brought to his notice.
He immediately stopped his campaign and called off his further programmes.
