Bengaluru, March 21
In the first case of model code violation booked against a key political figure ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday filed an FIR against Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje over her recent remarks on the people of Tamil Nadu, officials here said.
The move comes a day after ECI directed the Karnataka chief electoral officer (CEO) to take immediate and appropriate action on the DMK’s complaint regarding the violation by Karandlaje, who is BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Bangalore North constituency. The poll panel also sought a compliance report on the matter within 48 hours.
DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, had sought action against Karandlaje for alleging that a person from Tamil Nadu was responsible for the IED blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1. In its complaint, the DMK said that the minister’s statement generalised the people of Tamil Nadu as “extremists”.
According to the CEO, the Bangalore District Election Officer filed an FIR against Karandlaje under Sections 123 (3A), 125 and 123 (3) of the RP (Representation of the People) Act at the Cottonpet police station here.
During a protest in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Karandlaje said that law and order in Karnataka has “deteriorated”. People who come from Tamil Nadu plant bombs here, those from Delhi chant “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans and some who come from Kerala were involved in “acid attacks”, she claimed.
She later apologised for her remarks and said she was retracting her comments.
The Madurai police has also booked her for “promoting enmity” between different groups, while her remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and other DMK leaders.
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