Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh should be removed from the party's list of star campaigners for next month's Delhi Assembly elections, the Election Commission ordered this afternoon. The poll body's order comes after shocking comments by both leaders during election rallies this week, in which Mr Thakur urged a crowd to "goli maaro (gun down traitors)" and his colleague claimed those who have mounted a weeks-long peaceful sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh against the controversial citizenship law "will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters".
However, being removed from the BJP's list of "star campaigners" does not mean Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Sahib Singh cannot campaign for the party. It only means expenditure incurred will be added to candidate's expenditure that is capped at 28 lakhs; star campaigners are exempted from such limits.
"We will study the letter and respond... we are putting a balanced campaign and with facts," Union Minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said in response to the order, which has been viewed by many as a mere slap on the wrist for the ruling BJP.
On Monday Anurag Thakur, a Minister of State, was caught on camera at an election rally in the northwest of Delhi chanting the first half of a slogan that concludes with a call to gun down traitors.
The following day Parvesh Sahib Singh, the BJP's West Delhi MP, said: "Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them. There's time today... Modi-ji and Amit Shah Both Mr Thakur and Mr Singh have been served notices, with both directed to respond by 12 pm on Thursday, failing which the poll body said it "shall take a decision without any further reference to you".
In a widely-shared video, Anurag Thakur, who was campaigning for Manish Chaudhary, can be seen and heard chanting "desh ke gaddaron ko", to which the crowd enthusiastically replied "goli maaro sa***n ko"; the entire chant translates to "shoot down the traitors who betray the country".won't come to save you tomorrow".