Lucknow:
The Election Commission (EC) has sent a notice to union minister of steel and Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma for violating the moral code of conduct with his alleged remarks on the minority quota in an election rally in Uttar Pradesh. The notice to Mr Verma comes days after a similar row between the poll panel and law minister Salman Khurshid took place. That issue was closed after Mr Khurshid apologised for his remarks.
After his controversial remarks and then daring the EC, Mr Verma took an U-turn, saying his comments could have been a 'slip of the tongue' and he respects the poll panel.
The congress leader had earlier said that he wouldn't budge from his position, even if the EC took action against him. However, speaking to NDTV, Mr Verma now says that he respects the EC and with hectic campaigning during the election season, it's hard to recollect what he said, but defends himself, saying one can raise poll issues during campaigns.
"See we respect the Election Commission and every individual should respect these institutions. We have four to five meetings while we are campaigning; we don't remember all of it, but I don't speak wrong; I always speak the right thing," he told NDTV.
The union leader is the second Congress minister to have allegedly violated the EC's model code of conduct during the poll campaigning for Uttar Pradesh. After being served a notice by the EC, Mr Verma said that he respects the constitutional body, but when does one raise poll issues; if poll promises are not raised during campaigns when else can they be raised?
"I had gone to Kayamganj day in Kaswa which has a huge Muslim population and I could see some of them. I don't remember all of it but I did say 'condition of the Muslims is very bad. 70 per cent of the Muslims are daily wage workers, who have to work through the day to make ends meet. This section should get special reservation in the fields of education, science and in jobs as well'. I said this; now if we are campaigning, if we don't say this, then what else should we say. Someone should give me the Hanuman Chalisa and I will henceforth recite from there," he said.
After Mr Verma's controversial remarks during a rally in Farrukhabad, where Congress is fielding law minister Salman Khurshid's wife, Louise Khurshid, both Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had landed up on EC's doorsteps to complain against Mr Verma. It was here in Farrukhabad, where Mr Khurshid too had made a speech on the same issue that plunged him into a row with the poll panel.
Mr Verma is the Union Steel Minister and a prominent UP leader who was imported by the Congress from the Samajwadi Party.