Tamil Nadu: EC debars A Raja from DMK campaigning for 48 hours for comment against CM
The Election Commission said that A Raja’s response to the poll panel’s notice was not satisfactory and also delisted him from the list of star campaigners for the DMK.
FollowThe Election Commission on Thursday reprimanded DMK leader A Raja for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct and barred him from campaigning for the next 48 hours in poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
“The Election Commission of India debars you from campaigning for 48 hours with immediate effect, reprimands you for violation of model code of conduct and delists your name from the list of star campaigners of DMK,” the EC notice says.
“The Commission also advises you to be watchful and not to make intemperate, indecent, derogatory, obscene remarks and lower the dignity of women in future during the election campaign.”
The ban comes at a time when election campaigning in Tamil Nadu ends on April 4, as per the ECI norms. The ECI took the decision to ban A Raja after considering his written response filed to the Commission on a report sent by the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu Satyabrata Sahoo.
In a communication, the ECI said that it had taken the action after looking into all documents, facts, evidence and the reply from Raja.
Raja’s speech about ‘births’ of EPS and Stalin kicked up a row with the AIADMK accusing Raja of insulting EPS and his mother.
The Election Commission had earlier issued a show-cause notice to DMK leader A Raja for allegedly making derogatory remarks against EPS and his mother during an election campaign.
Raja on Monday apologised to Palaniswami for the “derogatory” remarks. Raja maintained that he had never ever thought of defaming EPS and his mother.
In his response to the Election Commission notice, A Raja had said that his speech was taken out of context. He said that AIADMK and BJP had “falsely propagated” that he insulted Palaniswami. He also said in his explanation to the notice that he had “not spoken anything that is violative of the Model Code of Conduct, which is obscene or which will lower the dignity of mother or women, much less any other provision of law."
