Lok Sabha Elections 2024: ECI Slaps 48 Hour Ban On Congress' Randeep Surjewala Over Remark Against Hema Malini

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday was slapped with a 48-hour ban from campaigning by the Election Commission of India after the poll governing body found his remark against BJP MP Hema Malini sexist. The Election Commission announced the ban after hearing both sides.

Earlier, the poll governing body issued show-cause notices to the accused Congress leader Surjewala, and his party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The ECI in its order said after examining Randeep Singh Sujewala's speech video submitted by the DEO and found that it was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

"The Commission is in receipt of the report of DEO Kaithal wherein it is stated that the aforesaid objectionable utterances were made during a speech given by Sh. Randeep Singh Surjewala on 31-03-2024 at Faral village of Pundri assembly constituency in the Kaithal district and the entire speech was videographed by the video surveillance team deployed by the DEO," the ECI order reads.

A video of Randeep Singh Surjewala's speech shared by BJP leader Amit Malviya on social media shows Congress leader addressing a public meeting in Haryana, and he can be heard saying voters elect their representatives to raise their concerns and issues in Parliament, and not like Hema Malini, who was elected to lick.

After the video went viral, Congress leaders faced huge criticism and notice from the state women's commission for his sexist and derogatory comments against a woman, who is BJP MP and veteran actor.

Reacting to the controversy, Surejewala had said that the video doing round the internet was doctored and he did not mean to insult anyone. "Watch the full clip. What I said was that we have great respect for Hema Malini ji, who is married to Dharmendra ji, and, therefore, is our daughter-in-law," Congress leader had said.

"All I said was that in public life, everyone (public representatives) must be accountable to the people...be it (Haryana CM) Nayab Singh Saini, or (former CM) Manohar Lal Khattar, or myself. I did not intend to insult Hema Malini ji, or offend anyone. The BJP itself is anti-women, and spreads lies conveniently," Surjewal had said in his post on X.