Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath joins a growing list of other prominent BJP leaders who have been asked to explain their conduct by the poll panel.
The Election Commission has issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday for alleging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind ‘Kejriwal was “feeding Biryani to Shaheen Bagh protesters” during one of his campaign speeches in the capital a few days ago.
Adityanath joins a growing list of other prominent BJP leaders who have been asked to explain their conduct by the poll panel.
BJP’s star campaigner’s comments were made on February1 in Karawal Nagar amid an opposition campaign alleging BJP was behind the youth who fired at a Jamia Millia Islamia University student protesting against the CAA a couple of days ago on January 30.
“The terrorists are not being fed Biryani today, the Congress had this habit in Kashmir and Kejriwal has the proclivity to feed Biryani over incidents like Shaheen Bagh, it is not a BJP habit,” Adityanath had said while addressing a poll rally.
He had gone on to target AAP and said Kejriwal was being supported by a minister from Pakistan.
“You will have to see that yesterday a minister from Pakistan is appealing in Kejriwal’s support, which means that he (Kejriwal) doesn’t have faith in Delhi residents, (therefore) such statements are being requested from one’s masters in Pakistan, from Imran Khan’s minister,” Yogi had added.
The poll body’s notice cites the code of conduct to which bars levelling of unverified allegations during the campaign.
“Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortions shall be avoided,” the EC notice said.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister has been given time till 5 pm tomorrow (February 7) to explain his position failing which the body will make a decision. The campaigning for Delhi polls comes to end today at 6 pm.
BJP campaign in Delhi led by home minister Amit Shah has often described Shaheen Bagh protests against the national interests and claimed their backers were from the ‘Tukde-Tukde gang’ (a moniker to depict a group advocating India’s disintegration).
Locals including women and children are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh, a southeast Delhi colony, bordering Uttar Pradesh since December 14, 2019.
A man was arrested on Saturday for firing two rounds in the air at the protest venue in Shaheen Bagh.
BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and union minister Anurag Thakur were banned temporarily by the election commission for comments violating the model code of conduct.
Prasanta Patnaik