After Mayawati, Navjot Singh Sidhu Courts Trouble With Vote Appeal to Muslims

New Delhi: Congress leader and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu courted trouble on Tuesday with his appeal to Muslims in Bihar to vote as a bloc to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in ongoing elections.

Sidhu made the controversial appeal while campaigning in Bihar’s Katihar, a day after the Election Commission took action against Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati, Maneka Gandhi and Azam Khan for making similar communally charged remarks.

“I want to warn my Muslim brothers that some people are trying to divide you. They are trying to prop up people like Owaisi to divide your votes. If you unite and vote as one, Modi will be driven out,” he said.

The Election Commission had on Monday imposed a nationwide campaign ban on Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath for 72 hours, Union minister Maneka Gandhi and BSP chief Mayawati for 48 hours from Tuesday for "provocative" communal remarks.

A 72-hour campaign ban has also been imposed on Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan for his alleged "khaki underwear" jibe against actor-politician Jaya Prada, who is his rival BJP candidate in Rampur Lok Sabha seat.

While Adityanath, Mayawati and Gandhi were found guilty of violating the model code, the EC said Khan not only violated the poll code, but also disregarded its November 2013 directive asking politicians to desist from "deeds or actions construed as being repugnant to the honour and dignity of women".

For the first time a pan-India ban has been imposed on politicians, while any restriction on a chief minister and a union minister is unprecedented.