EC Bans Azam Khan For 72 Hours From Campaigning For Derogatory “Underwear” Jibe Against Jaya Prada
Emboldened by a recent Supreme Court (SC) directive which asked the poll body to take stringent action against erring election campaigners, the Election Commission (EC) on 15 April banned Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan from campaigning for 72 hours, reports Hindustan Times (HT).
The ban on Khan relates to his controversial “underwear” remark against Jaya Prada who is fighting against him from Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur parliamentary constituency in the coming general elections.
“I brought her (Jaya Prada) to Rampur. You are a witness that I did not allow anyone to touch her body. It took you 17 years to identify her real face but I got to know in 17 days that she wears khaki underwear,” said Khan while addressing an election rally in Rampur.
The EC took notice of this and stated in its order that the jibe was “not only indecent but also derogatory and totally uncalled for.”
Not The First Time
It should be noted that this is not the first time the EC has banned Khan for using questionable language in his election speeches. A similar ban was placed on him in the 2014 general elections. The poll body added that he is “still indulging in using very objectionable language in election campaigning.”
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has also been prohibited from campaigning for 48 hours.