Gujarat CM regrets derogatory remarks by party MLAs

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday expressed regret that BJP legislators Madhu Srivastava and party president Jitu Vaghani made derogatory remarks while campaigning but declined to comment if any action would be taken against them as the Election Commission (EC) was seized of the issue.

The EC had on Monday issued show-cause notice to Waghodia MLA Srivastava for issuing threat to the voters at an election meeting by saying that they would have to bear the consequences if they did not vote for the BJP.

Srivastava's speech was telecast live by local TV channels while videos of his speech had gone viral on the social media.

On the other hand, complaints have been made against Vaghani, who is also a legislator from Bhavnagar, for calling Congress leaders "haramzada (illegitimate children)" at a public meeting in Surat on Monday.

Asked about these comments at a press conference, Rupani said: "No one should speak or utter such language. As political leaders, we should control our tongues and not let it slip."

However, Rupani side-stepped questions if the BJP would take action against Srivastava and Vaghani, saying: "The Election Commission has already issued a notice to Srivastava. That itself says a lot. Let that issue be settled first."

--IANS

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