Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao received a reprimand from the Election Commission of India on Wednesday for allegedly using vulgar and derogatory language against Congress leaders during a press conference in Siricilla on April 5.
In a letter addressed to KCR, ECI Principal Secretary Avinash Kumar stated that the Commission had conducted an inquiry into the complaint lodged by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Senior Vice-President G. Niranjan on April 6 regarding the language used by KCR against the Congress.
The factual report revealed that KCR had employed foul language, referring to Congress leaders as "kukkala kodukulu" (sons of bitches), "lathkors" (stupids), "chavatas" (idiots), and "daddammas" (useless fellows).
The report also cited KCR's threat to the Congress leaders, stating that he would "bite their throats and kill them" if they failed to provide a Rs 500 bonus on the minimum support price for paddy.
The Commission's secretary stated that the derogatory remarks made by KCR against the Congress leaders in Siricilla on April 5 prima facie amounted to a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and the Commission's advisories/instructions.
Kumar requested an explanation from the BRS president regarding his comments before 11 am on Thursday.
He cautioned that failure to respond within the stipulated time would result in the Election Commission taking appropriate action or making a decision without further reference to KCR.
Avinash Kumar noted that the Commission had previously cautioned KCR on multiple occasions, including during the 2019 and 2023 elections.
He emphasized that as the president of BRS and the former Chief Minister of Telangana, KCR was expected to adhere to the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and the Commission's guidelines and advisories.
"Any unverified and unsubstantiated claims or derogatory remarks made by you have the potential to tarnish the image of the political party or candidates in opposition. In this case, unverified allegations and derogatory remarks made by you pose a risk of tarnishing the image of the opposition party/leader and disrupting the level playing field and ongoing election process in Telangana," Kumar stated in the letter.
