New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday issued a notice to BJP leader Imrati Devi, who is contesting the by-elections in Madhya Pradesh, for calling her anonymous political rival ‘crazy’ and for making remarks against women in her family. Imrati Devi has been given 48 hours to respond to the notice. If not, the Election Commission will decide on further action.
Taking cognizance of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath’s ‘item’ remarks against Imrati Devi, the commission had on Monday advised her not to use such words during the period of the code of conduct. Minister in the Madhya Pradesh government Imrati Devi did not mention the name of her political rival in the video that surfaced on social media. The commission denied identifying the leader, saying it did not know what Imrati Devi was referring to. A senior Election Commission official said, “Let them respond to the notice first. We have the details of the video. “
By-polls are to be held on November 3 for 28 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. According to the details of the video, Imrati Devi said that she has gone “crazy” after leaving the post of Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh. Imrati Devi had also said that “her mother and sister will be ‘items’ of Bengal, so we know very little about this.” The notice said his statement was considered a violation of the provisions of the code of conduct. The Commission has also referred to a provision which states that political parties and candidates shall refrain from any statement or act which may harm the dignity of women.
