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Election Commission bans Yogi, Mayawati, Azam and Maneka from campaigning

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court virtually admonished the EC when it said it has little power to act against politicians uttering communal speeches.

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Yogi, Mayawati, Azam and Maneka
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Minutes after getting rapped on the knuckles by the Supreme Court for not acting strongly against politicians indulging in communal speeches, the Election Commission on Monday came down heavily on Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.

Using its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, the Commission, for the first time in the current poll season, barred Adityanath and Mayawati for 72 hours and 48 hours respectively from holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, road shows, interviews, and public utterances in media in connection with the ongoing elections.

The poll panel extended the action to senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and Union minister Maneka Gandhi over controversial remarks. While Khan was handed a 72-hour ban, Maneka has been restrained from campaigning for 48 hours.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court virtually admonished the EC when it said it has little power to act against politicians uttering communal speeches. The maximum it can do is issue advisories and in case of a repeat offence, register an FIR, said the EC.

Unimpressed, the Supreme Court took upon itself to tell the Election Commission what powers it has in such cases. "We would like to examine the matter, we want a representative of the EC who is conversant with the details to appear," Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.

Within an hour, the Election Commission passed the order against Mayawati and Adityanath and shot a letter to the Chief Electoral Officers of all the states and Union Territories to see that it is implemented. It sent out similar missives about Maneka and Khan.

Earlier this month, Adityanath drew flak for saying "Congress used to serve terrorists biryani, but Modiji's Sena (referring to Indian Army) gives them only bullets and bombs." Five days later, the Election Commission merely told Adityanath to "be careful" in the future.

Mayawati too got just a notice from the election body for her Deoband speech where she asked Muslims "not to split votes" as it would help the BJP win.

Azam Khan was also slapped with an FIR and a women commission notice for his alleged "khaki underwear" jibe at BJP leader Jaya Prada. Addressing a rally in Rampur, Khan had said, "... You got represented (by her) for 10 years. People of Rampur, people of Uttar Pradesh and people of India, it took you 17 years to understand her reality. But, I could recognize it in 17 days that she wears a khaki underwear."

On her part, Maneka had said that Muslims should vote for her or their future requests could be shunned if she wins.

Welcoming the EC's decision to finally push the button on hate speech, the Congress said, if the poll body sticks to its principal stand in every case, all these antics and sensationalism will stop within a week.

Restrained

  • Azam Khan and Adityanath have been barred from campaigning for 72 hours
  • The EC has restrained Mayawati and Maneka Gandhi for 48 hours from holding public rallies
  • Poll panel used its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution to take action against hate speech
  • Khan has also been slapped with an FIR 
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