Yogi visits temple, nephew rallies for Maya after EC ban
LUCKNOW: Four political leaders banned from campaigning for varying periods by the Election Commission for violating the model code of conduct by making intemperate statements spent Tuesday away from the public glare.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and Union minister Maneka Gandhi kept a low profile. Some of their family members campaigned on their behalf.
Adityanath, who was banned for 72 hours, went to the Hanuman Setu temple in Lucknow. He recited the Hanuman Chalisa and responded to media queries and greetings by supporters with a smile. Adityanath received a gag order for saying the opposition was courting ‘Ali’, a reference to Islam, while the BJP was banking on ‘Bajrang Bali’, the Hindu god Hanuman.
Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand took her place at a rally in Agra and criticised the EC order barring the BSP chief from campaigning for 48 hours. “If you ensure victory of our candidate by a huge margin, it would be a befitting reply to the Election Commission,” he said in his first political appearance.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister had, in a rally, asked Muslims to vote for the opposition alliance consisting of the BSP, Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, falling foul of the model code that bars politicians from seeking votes on the basis of religion.
In Rampur, Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Azam Khan, came out in his father’s defence and claimed the EC was working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “The EC has taken one-sided action against my father just to please the BJP. No notice was issued and we were not allowed to present our side.”
The EC banned Khan from campaigning for 72 hours after he made a derogatory remark against BJP’S Lok Sabha candidate from Rampur Jaya Prada.
Union minister and BJP candidate from Sultanpur, Maneka Gandhi, who was also barred from campaigning for 48 hours for allegedly threatening Muslims of her constituency to vote for her, remained indoors and did not have any public interaction.