Anurag Thakur/File
The Election Commission on Tuesday issued show-cause notice to Union Minister Anurag Thakur over his controversial remarks. The BJP leader triggered a row on Monday as he raised an inflammatory slogan that "traitors should be shot". Thakur was addressing a meeting in support of the BJP candidate from Rithala, Manish Chaudhary.
The poll panel has asked the BJP leader to reply to the show-cause notice by 12 noon on January 30.
At the rally, Thakur, the minister of state for finance, shouted "desh ke gaddaron ko" to which the crowd responded "goli maaro sa**n ko" (shoot down the traitors).
Addressing the meeting in support of BJP candidate from Rithala, Manish Chaudhary, Thakur raised the pitch of nationalism as he linked opposition parties with anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh and with alleged anti-India slogans, and then asked the crowd to raise the controversial slogan.\
Hitting out at the BJP, Kirti Azad, who is the head of the Delhi Congress campaign committee, its leaders are the "real traitors" as they are working to "destroy" peace and amity.
The controversial slogan has been raised by some junior BJP leaders of late, including Kapil Mishra, but this is the first time a party functionary of the level of a Union minister has participated in it.
Thakur is also heard telling the crowd to raising the slogan in such a high voice that Giriraj Singh, a firebrand Hindutva leader and a Union minister, can hear it.
The BJP's Rithala candidate is seen as a protegee of Giriraj Singh.
