New Delhi: The Election Commission on Thursday issued a notice to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his ‘Akbar’ remark during an election campaign in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, news agency PTI reported.
The notice was a response to Sarma's recent comments targeting Chhattisgarh's only Muslim minister, Mohammad Akbar, during the Chhattisgarh poll campaign last week.
The EC has asked him to respond to the notice by 5 pm on Monday (October 30).
The Congress party had filed the complaint with the Election Commission (EC) for making communally charged remarks, reported PTI. Congress leaders claimed that these statements highlight a clear-cut intention to incite sections of society against one another.
“Now, therefore, you are hereby called upon to show cause by 17.00 hrs. of 30th October'2023 (Monday) as to why appropriate action for violation of Model Code of Conduct should not be taken against you,” the notice read.
During his speech in Kawardha in Chhattisgarh on October 18, Sharma reportedly took a controversial dig at Akbar, saying, "The land of Mata Kaushalya will get defiled if Akbar isn't sent off," reported PTI.
"If one Akbar comes to some place, he calls 100 Akbars. So, send him off as soon as possible, otherwise the land of Mata Kaushalya will get defiled," he added.
According to PTI, Mata Kaushalya, the mother of Lord Ram, is believed to hail from what is modern-day Chhattisgarh.
While issuing him notice, the poll panel reminded him of a provision in the poll code that states that "no party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic," as per the news agency.
Elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly will be held in two phases - on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.