New Delhi:
In a bitterly fought national election that has seen increasingly ugly personal attacks, the Election Commission has asked for a report on speeches made by three Uttar Pradesh politicians, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Azam Khan and Ajit Singh.
The Election Commission has issued notice to Azam Khan, a Samajwadi Party leader, for his statement on the 1999 Kargil war. "The peaks of Kargil were conquered, not by a Hindu but by Muslim soldiers," he said in Ghaziabad, a constituency in Uttar Pradesh where a large number of retired army men are voters.
Amit Shah of the BJP today asked the Allahabad High Court to cancel an FIR or First Information Report against him for a speech in which he called the election a chance to seek "revenge for the insult" inflicted during the riots in Muzaffarnagar in September last.
While hearing his petition, the court observed that "in a polarized environment politicians should refrain from making hate speeches."
In Delhi, BJP leaders complained to the Election Commission alleging that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were trying to polarise voters.
Besides Azam Khan, the BJP has complained against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh, who said on Tuesday, "It is unfortunate that people like Amit Shah are in politics. People like him are making divisive speeches. We will fight the BJP like we have and we will destroy Amit Shah."
Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh has also drawn the Election Commission's attention with his remarks on Narendra Modi at a rally in his constituency Baghpat. "Western Uttar Pradesh will burn in communal flames if the BJP comes to power. To prevent this, we can go to any extent, even if it means throwing Modi into the ocean," he said.
Today, Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi also exchanged sharp attacks while campaigning in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
"There is an attempt to cover one man's real face with a mask. He is being projected as the cure for all ills and a miraculous leader," Mrs Gandhi said at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, without naming Mr Modi.
At a rally in Maharashtra's Solapur, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate targeted Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who represents the constituency in Parliament. "They can only think of one thing, how to keep Madam (Sonia Gandhi) happy."