The Election Commission of India is understood to have issued a notice to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa for making a provocative speech and asked him to file his reply by Saturday evening.
In another case, the poll panel slapped a notice on Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil for a speech he made in Belgaum and sought his response.
Eshwarappa, during an election speech at Shimoga, reportedly remarked: “Young Muslim men are getting involved with Hindu women as part of love jihad.”
A complaint regarding this was lodged by local Congress leader Syed Wahid. Police then registered a case against the BJP leader.
As regards Patil, the Nationalist Congress Party leader recalled a 2005 incident in Karnataka’s border town of Belgaum, when the face of Marathi-speaking Mayor Vijay More was blackened by Kannada activists. He said this “was not an insult to one man but to 12 crore Marathis.”
Published 12 April 2013, 21:38 IST