KCR Barred From Campaigning For "Derogatory" Remarks Against Congress

Former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrashekar Rao, popularly known as KCR, has been banned by the Election Commission today from campaigning for 48 hours for his "derogatory" statements against the Congress. The 48-hour ban comes into force at 8 pm this evening.

He has been barred from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, shows and interviews, and public utterances in media in connection with the ongoing election, said the Election Commission, "strongly condemning his impugned statements".

The Congress had complained to the election panel on April 6 about certain "objectionable" remarks issued by KCR at a press meet in Telangana's Sircilla town a day earlier.

The commission had earlier issued a show-cause notice to KCR over the alleged remarks. Responding to the notice on April 23, the former Chief Minister, however, denied the charge. He pointed the meaning of his original statement has been lost in translation: "The officers in charge of election in Telangana and Sircilla are not Telugu people and they hardly understand the local dialect of Telugu."

He also criticised the Congress for "picking some sentences from his press conference out of context. The English translation of the sentences is not correct and twisted," he said.

KCR also insisted that he had confined his criticism to the policies and programmes of the Congress and that he made no criticism of personal aspects of any Congress leaders, the Election Commission said.

After going through the content of the Congress complaint and KCR's reply, the commission found the BRS chief "has violated the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct"

K Chandrashekar Rao is the second politician to be banned from campaigning for 48 hours after Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.