By IANS,
Lucknow : The Election Commission Saturday said it would study a speech by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Akhilesh Das in which he is alleged to have derogatorily called Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Nafisa Ali “budhiya”, or old woman.
“I am taking the CD of the speech made by the BSP candidate along with me. After screening, we will take necessary action,” Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi said at a press conference here.
Uttar Pradesh’s chief electoral officer A.K. Bishnoi said a first information report has been registered against Das for his comments against Nafisa Ali. Both are candidates from Lucknow constituency.
“The FIR was registered against Das at the Qaiserbagh police station April 15,” said Bishnoi.
At a poll rally here Monday, Das – who left the Congress to join the BSP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls – described Nafisa as a “budhiya”. He also mentioned that Nafisa Ali’s husband was a Sikh, in what is being seen as an effort to convey to Muslim voters that she is not married to a Muslim.
-Indo-Asian News Service