Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday night issued a notice to former Union Telecom Minister A Raja for his controversial remarks on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's mother. Issuing the notice, the ECI asked Raja to respond by 6 pm on Wednesday.
The notice came after the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) sent a report on Raja's speech that went viral on social media. Raja's comments created a major controversy after which the DMK leader apologised for his statement.
“The Commission is of the view that the content of the speech made by you are not only derogatory but also obscene and lower the dignity of motherhood of women, which seems to be a serious violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct,” the ECI said in its notice.
The development comes two days after CCB registered a case under three sections of IPC.
The speech, which was derogatory in nature, went viral on social media prompting DMK chief M K Stalin to appeal to his party leaders to ensure that their speeches are made in a dignified manner. Raja, in his response, said he never meant to disrespect Palaniswami or his mother but was only making a comparison on the political growth of the Chief Minister and Stalin.
Published 30 March 2021, 17:44 IST