The poll body said that Deora, a Congress candidate from South Mumbai, violated the provisions of the model code in a speech during a rally in Mumbai.
Mumbai: The Election Commission on Monday censured Congress leader Milind Deora for his reported remarks pressing the Jain community to vote against the Shiv Sena.
The poll body said that Deora, a Congress candidate from South Mumbai, violated the provisions of the model code in a speech during a rally in Mumbai.
“The Commission, after considering his reply found it violative of para 1 and para 3 of MCC and therefore Commission censured him and warned him to be more careful in future,” the EC said.
The ECI’s action came after Deora while addressing an event at Zhaveri Bazar, had accused Shiv Sena of hurting religious sentiments of Jain followers. The Mumbai Congress president urged the Jain community to teach them a lesson by not voting for the party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
“Shiv Sena has been against the minorities. A few years ago, the party insulted the Jain religion by cooking meat outside Jain temples during Paryushana festival. Remember, you have to teach them a lesson through your votes,” he had said at an event.
Later, one of the Shiv Sena candidates complained to the EC stating that the allegations made by Deora were “false and are religiously sensitive”. Following this, the EC looked into the matter and had asked the police to register an FIR.
Earlier, he was served with a show cause notice for his reported remarks that Jains should teach Shiv Sena a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections for allegedly cooking meat outside a Mumbai temple during Paryushana festival in 2015.
The Paryushana festival is an annual event within the Jain community in which an eight-day fast is observed.
In 2015, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation banned the sale of meat for four days during the festival. The BJP-led government had pushed for an eight-day ban but the Sena, which had a majority in the civic body, refused.
The Mumbai South constituency went to the polls on April 29. The seat is currently held by Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant, who beat Deora in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
With inputs from ANI.