Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday submitted his explanation to the Election Commission, which had served notice to him for prima facie violating the Model Code of Conduct by allegedly making derogatory remarks against Hindus in his speech at an election rally.
A delegation of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders submitted his letter to Additional Chief Electoral Officer Jyothi Buddha Prakash. The poll panel had served a notice on the TRS chief on April 9, asking him to submit an explanation on or before April 12.
The EC had received a complaint from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) State President M Rama Raju that KCR made derogatory remarks during an election rally at Karimnagar on March 17.
KCR in his speech had referred to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said, "Ee Hindu Gaalu...bondu gaalu...dikkumalina...daridrapu gaalu…desham lo aggi petale, gattar levale.” It loosely translates in English to, “These (self-proclaimed) Hindus are useless and disgusting…They want to stoke fire in the country and belong in the gutter.”
The poll panel prima facie found that Rao's remarks had the apotential of disturbing harmony and aggravating the existing differences between social and religious communities.
It said by making the statement and appealing to communal feelings, Rao violated the Model Code of Conduct.
In the same speech, KCR had also said, "BJP leaders say they are the only Hindus. Then what is their problem if Hindus (like me) perform puja and yagnas? Are you the only ones who can safeguard our culture? Were there no temples before the BJP came?”
In his reply, the Chief Minister stated, “The allegation is false and flatly denied in toto. In fact, if one makes an attempt to read the speech carefully and dispassionately, it would sound promoting secularism and democracy, which is the idealism and basic structure of the Constitution.”
He also stated that the complainant submitted a “truncated version” of the speech in order to “dovetail to his notion of Hindutva philosophy.”
Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar also received a copy of the response.
IANS inputs