K Chandrashekar Rao, the leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and a former chief minister of Telangana, is not allowed to campaign for the next Lok Sabha elections for a period of 48 hours, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). According to a ruling dated May 1, ECI claimed that the action was conducted in response to a complaint about disparaging remarks made by KCR against Congress during a news conference in Sircilla on April 5, 2024.
KCR has been barred from “holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, shows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print, social media) etc. in connection with the ongoing elections for 48 hours from 8 pm on May 1,” as per the ECI order.
The ECI was acting on a complaint from G Niranjan, senior vice president, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), alleging that KCR made “derogatory and objectionable statements” against the Congress party. According to ECI, KCR said that a “Congressman told [people] to sell Nirodhs (condoms) and papads for survival.” The BRS chief also used other derogatory words to refer to Congress leaders which loosely translates to someone who is good-for-nothing.
For making the identical comments, the ECI had earlier on April 16 sent KCR a show-cause notice. It also mentioned that it had previously ordered KCR to exercise caution going forward following a public speech in Karimnagar in May 2019 due to his violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Another advisory was issued to KCR in October 2023, before the recent Telangana Assembly elections, ECI said.
