Vijayawada: The Election Commission has issued notices to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu over reports that they violated the Model Code of Conduct vis-a-vis their statements against each other.
The YSRC lodged two complaints against Naidu for verbally abusing Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The EC heard that both leaders had passed derogatory remarks against each other during election rallies in the past several days. EC officials said Jagan Mohan Reddy and Naidu repeatedly violated provisions of the code by using derogatory remarks against each other during the election rallies.
According to the notice issued to Jagan Mohan Reddy, the EC cited five different statements made by him at rallies between April 2 and April 4. The Chief Minister had called Naidu a “habitual offender”, “murderer” and “sadist.”
The EC officials said it had received a complaint from TD on April 5 about his remarks against Naidu.
The EC, in its notice to Naidu, cited seven instances wherein his speeches violated the code. He used terms such as “venom spewing,” “Mayala fakir (a character in a film], “fake fellow”, and “psycho” among others, to trash Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The EC directed both leaders to “remain more careful” during their public meetings. “The commission expects that all political leaders follow the provisions of the MCC in letter and spirit, setting up an example for the political discourse,” it said.
Meanwhile, YSRC leaders led by MLA Malladi Vishnu with party grievance cell state president A. Narayanamurthy and YSRC legal cell leader Srinivas Reddy lodged two complaints against Chandrababu Naidu for verbally abusing CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Vishnu said Naidu intentionally abused the CM through objectionable words, which were against the norms and a violation of the Election Model Code of Conduct. He said Naidu, during the election campaign meetings in Anakapalli and Panyam on May 6, used abusive language. “Hence we lodged two complaints.”
Vishnu said another complaint was lodged by the YSRC against a vernacular daily for publishing morphed photos of the Chief Minister. “We sought action against the management.”
