The Election Commission (EC) has issued a notice to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s son, Priyank Gandhi, over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Priyank Gandhi, who is the Congress chief’s son, had referred to PM Modi as “nalayak beta” during a recent election rally in Uttar Pradesh.
The EC notice was issued after receiving a complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had objected to the language used by Priyank Gandhi. The notice requires Priyank Gandhi to respond to the allegations within a stipulated time frame.
The BJP had strongly condemned the remarks made by Priyank Gandhi, saying that they were an insult to the Prime Minister and the office he holds. The party had demanded that the Congress leadership take action against Priyank Gandhi for his remarks.
Meanwhile, the Congress had defended Priyank Gandhi’s comments, stating that he had only used a colloquial term to refer to the Prime Minister’s incompetence. The party had also accused the BJP of being hypersensitive and of trying to distract from the real issues of the election campaign.
This is not the first time that Priyank Gandhi has been embroiled in a controversy over his remarks. In 2019, he had referred to Union Minister Smriti Irani as “Rahul Gandhi ki baat maanne wali nahi hai” during a rally in Amethi, which had sparked a huge controversy.
The EC notice to Priyank Gandhi comes amid the ongoing assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress is one of the main opposition parties. The Congress is hoping to make a comeback in the state, which it had ruled for many years before being displaced by the BJP in 2017.