Jharkhand minister Irfan Ansari was on Saturday booked for making an allegedly derogatory remark about Bharatiya Janata Party member Sita Soren, ANI reported.
Ansari, a Congress MLA, was on Friday responding to reporters’ questions about facing Soren in the Jamtara constituency in the Assembly election.
He appeared to have been referring to Sita Soren having crossed over to the BJP from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in March.
The BJP member, however, accused the Congress MLA of making the indecent remark against her and demanded his apology.
Jharkhand Additional Chief Electoral Officer Neha Arora said on Saturday that a first information report was registered against Ansari for violating the Model Code of Conduct, a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission that candidates, political parties and governments need to follow.
The officer said that a strict advisory has been issued to political parties against making such remarks, ANI reported.
Sita Soren questioned the silence of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and Chief Minister Hemant Soren about the Congress MLA’s remark against her. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress are contesting the Assembly election in an alliance.
“Hemant Soren, your silent support for such indecent language against me – an Adivasi woman who is your sister-in-law, the wife of your dead elder brother – is shameful,” she said. “How can someone who cannot protect the honour of his sister-in-law protect Jharkhand’s sisters and mothers?”
Sita Soren is the wife of the chief minister’s brother Durga Soren, who died in 2009.
Ansari, however, denied having used derogatory language against his election rival and claimed that an “edited video” had been used to defame him, The Indian Express reported.
“I consider Sita Soren my sister-in-law and never took anyone’s name,” he said. “The BJP’s IT Cell is using this for election. The fight should be healthy and should not be degraded.”
The polling in Jharkhand will take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20. The counting of votes will happen on November 23, alongside those of the Maharashtra polls.
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