Delhi Elections: EC imposes 3-day ban on Anurag Thakur for 'shoot the traitors' shocker

BJP senior leader and Finance Minister (MoS) Anurag Thakur was banned by the Election Commission (EC) from campaigning for three days over his shocking 'shoot the traitor' sloganeering. Days ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections,  Anurag Thakur was seen chanting inflammatory slogans in a BJP election rally in Delhi. The video shows the Union Minister shouting 'Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maron salon ko' (Shoot all traitors of the country) while campaigning for the BJP candidate for Rithala Assembly constituency - Manish Chaudhari. 

Taking cognisance of the shocking slogan, the Election Commission barred Anurag Thakur from campaigning for three days, and gagged BJP MP Parvesh Varma for 4 days. Both the BJP leaders remain off the party's "star campaigner list."  Incidentally, the Union Minister is part of the Finance team headed by Nirmala Sitharaman which will present the Union Budget on February 1.

READ| Amit Shah on Delhi Elections: 'Vote in such anger, that current is felt in Shaheen Bagh'

Three days after the statement, on Thursday, a man wielding a pistol open fired near the Jamia Millia Islamia University in the national capital. He shot a protesting student, who has not been admitted to Holy Family Hospital. The man opened fire after saying, "who wants Azadi?". Soon after the incident, he was detained by the Delhi police. Speaking about the incident, DCP South East Delhi Chinmoy Biswal said, "I am finding what the incident is all about and the investigations are on. We have deployed our forces in various areas."

'Shoot the traitors' 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in interaction with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on January 28 came in defense of the BJP leaders who made controversial remarks in the last few weeks. Siding with the BJP leaders, Adityanath called them 'nationalists.'  Yogi Adityanath was asked about Finance Minister (MoS) Anurag Thakur's 'shoot the traitors' statement, to which the BJP leader responded saying, "If we are investigating as per law and order, there is a problem. If a nationalist makes use of such a language somewhere, then you don't even like it. Then what is the way? It is a thought." Thakur on Monday was seen chanting an inflammatory slogan in a BJP election rally in Delhi. 

READ| 'Try and shoot me': Owaisi challenges MoS Anurag Thakur over his 'goli maaro' shocker