May 08, 2025 04:29 am (IST)
Follow us:
Azam Khan slams EC for banning him
Lucknow, Apr 18 (IBNS) A day after the Election Commission (EC) lifted the ban on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s general secretary Amit Shah, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan on Friday slammed the poll panel.
"The Election Commission is punishing me without even reading my reply to the charges. It is punishing me for telling truth while it has let my friend (Amit Shah), a person like him, to campaign publicly. Is it correct on the part of the commission," Khan told media.
The SP earlier in the day urged the autonomous authority to allow its leader Azam Khan to hold poll rallies too.
"We want the EC to reconsider its decision on Amit Shah. We also appeal to the EC to lift the ban on Azam Khan," said SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary.
Meanwhile, SP leader Naresh Agrawal alleged that the EC works under the directives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
"The ban has been lifted on Modi aide Amit Shah. But the ban remains on Azam Khan. The double standards of the EC is clear. Seems it works under the pressure of the BJP and Modi. We condemn the EC's move," Agrawal said.
The EC on Thursday lifted ban on Shah on campaigning in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.
"This came after Shah told the commission that he will not use derogatory or abusive language in poll campaigns," The Hindustan Times reported.
BJP's Uttar Pradesh in-charge Amit Shah had earlier urged people to take their revenge by voting for his party in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a rally at a riot-hit Jat village near Muzaffarnagar, Shah said, "If you want to take revenge, vote for the BJP."
"In today's time you can't take revenge with swords and arrows like it was done in the Mughat era. But today the people are constantly being denied justice ... they are not getting their rights. So, you press the right button (on the Electronic Voting Machine) and show people their right place," he said.
The EC had banned him from holding public rallies and road shows Uttar Pradesh.
The EC banned Azam Khan from holding rallies after he created a controversy by saying it was Muslim soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country in the Kargil War.
"The soldiers who brought victory in Kargil were not Hindu but Muslim soldiers. It was our Muslim brothers who conquered the peaks of Kargil mountains," he had said addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Iran's foreign minister to meet S Jaishankar in Delhi tomorrow amid Indo-Pak tensions
Wed, May 07 2025
'This is the kind of response Indians were waiting for': Shashi Tharoor lauds Operation Sindoor
Wed, May 07 2025
Ex-UK PM Rishi Sunak backs India over Operation Sindoor, says 'no nation should accept terrorist attacks'
Wed, May 07 2025
Ensure smooth functioning of essential services: Amit Shah tells states in security review meet after Operation Sindoor
Wed, May 07 2025
'Verify your facts': India schools Chinese state media over Operation Sindoor disinformation
Wed, May 07 2025
Over 200 flights cancelled, 18 airports shut across north India
Wed, May 07 2025
'We eliminated only those who killed our innocent people': Rajnath Singh lauds Army and PM Modi for Operation Sindoor
Wed, May 07 2025
China calls India's Operation Sindoor 'regrettable', says 'we oppose all forms of terrorism'
Wed, May 07 2025
India, Uzbekistan aim to deepen strategic defence collaborations
Wed, May 07 2025