Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh): Uttar Pradesh Minority Affairs Minister Mohd Azam Khan seems uncontrollable. He told a stunned gathering at Bijnor town that the untimely deaths of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his brother Sanjay Gandhi were “acts of Allah”.
The Election Commission banned all his public meetings, speeches and campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls hours after the comment.
The senior minister in the Samajwadi Party government of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said both Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi had committed “serious crimes” and were “punished by Allah” and which is why they met brutal deaths.
Addressing an election rally in Bijnor Friday evening, Khan said while Sanjay Gandhi was responsible for mass and forcible sterlization during the emergency rule of his mother, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, he accused former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi of incurring the “wrath of gods” as he had presided over the opening of the Babri mosque to Hindus for prayers.
He also said Allah will never spare people who conduct themselves against humanity.
Sanjay Gandhi, younger son of Indira Gandhi, was killed in a plane crash in June 1980, while Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a human bomb during an election rally in Tamil Nadu in May 1991.
Khan also took a dig at BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and said that a man who is not loyal to his wife will betray the nation.
“Jo apni biwi ka nahin ho saka, wo desh ka kya hoga (Someone who could not be loyal to his wife, how can he be loyal to the nation),” he added.
State authorities said Saturday the poll panel’s restrain order on the minister would be complied with. The Election Commission has also put restrictions on the campaigning of BJP general secretary and close Modi aide Amit Shah for his “hate speeches”.