Himanta Biswa Sarma | Twitter image
Guwahati, Oct 27: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a show-cause notice to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly making communal charged remarks during an election campaign in poll-bound Chhattisgarh.
The notice was issued following a complaint by the Congress party, which alleged that Sarma’s remarks against Congress candidate Mohammad Akbar were communal in nature.
In his speech, Sarma said, “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.”
The Election Commission, in its show-cause notice, said that certain parts of the BJP leader's speech that he delivered on October 18 have been found to be "prima facie violative" of provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The ECI has asked Sarma to respond to the notice by 5 pm on October 30.
While issuing him notice, the poll panel reminded him of a provision in the poll code which 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.”