ECI imposes 48-hour bar on KCR poll campaigning
TNN | May 2, 2024, 09.02 AM IST
HYDERABAD: The Election Commission has barred former Telangana chief minister and BRS chief, K Chandrasekhar Rao, from holding public meetings, processions, rallies, shows and giving interviews to reporters for 48 hours from 8 pm on Wednesday. The action came on a complaint on April 6 by Telangana Congress senior vice-president G Niranjan.
In a press meet in Sircilla on April 5, KCR had made a number of comments which were seen as derogatory and objectionable by the Congress. Telangana's chief electoral officer had filed a report on the issue based on which a notice was issued to KCR on April 16.
Among other things, KCR had called the Congress men 'lath-khors' (a useless, lazy person). He also made another comment in Telugu which roughly translates to: "We will bite your heads off if you don't give Rs 500 as bonus (on MSP)." In its complaint, the Congress had said KCR had threatened to kill.
KCR in his reply said, "The officers in charge of election in Telangana and Sircilla are not Telugu people and they hardly understand the local dialect. The complaint is made by the Congress by picking some sentences from his (KCR's) press conference out of context. The English translation of the sentences is not correct and twisted."
KCR submitted that he had confined his criticism to the policies and programmes of the Congress party in the state and their failure to fulfil the promises made during the assembly elections. He made no personal comments on Congress leaders.
The commission, after going through records, said it was convinced KCR's statements violated the model code. It said KCR had violated the model code in past elections as well.
In a press meet in Sircilla on April 5, KCR had made a number of comments which were seen as derogatory and objectionable by the Congress. Telangana's chief electoral officer had filed a report on the issue based on which a notice was issued to KCR on April 16.
Among other things, KCR had called the Congress men 'lath-khors' (a useless, lazy person). He also made another comment in Telugu which roughly translates to: "We will bite your heads off if you don't give Rs 500 as bonus (on MSP)." In its complaint, the Congress had said KCR had threatened to kill.
KCR in his reply said, "The officers in charge of election in Telangana and Sircilla are not Telugu people and they hardly understand the local dialect. The complaint is made by the Congress by picking some sentences from his (KCR's) press conference out of context. The English translation of the sentences is not correct and twisted."
KCR submitted that he had confined his criticism to the policies and programmes of the Congress party in the state and their failure to fulfil the promises made during the assembly elections. He made no personal comments on Congress leaders.
The commission, after going through records, said it was convinced KCR's statements violated the model code. It said KCR had violated the model code in past elections as well.