New Delhi: Amit Shah, the controversial aide of
Narendra Modi, who was banned from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh after he delivered a hate speech, accepted his mistake, said Election Commission sources,
justifying the decision to let him get back to the campaign trail.
"Amit Shah wrote to the Election Commission and pledged not to make hate speeches and disturb peace in UP," said sources to NDTV. They said that a similar ban on Azam Khan, a top minister in the UP government, has not been lifted because he has defended his action and has indicated he will challenge the Election Commission's order on him in court. "When Azam Khan defends his action, how can the ban on his campaign be lifted?" asked an Election Commission source. "We can examine that once he accepts our authority and orders," said the sources.
The Election Commission had been attacked by the Samajwadi Party, headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, for treating the cases of Mr Khan and Mr Shah differently. (
Election Commission acting on Congress' behest: Azam Khan)
Both politicians had, earlier this month, delivered speeches that were seen as designed to incite communal tension. (
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Mr Shah, 50, has been leading the BJP's general election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, which elects a whopping 80 parliamentarians. He asked voters to seek "revenge" for the deadly Hindu-Muslim riots in Muzaffarnagar in the western part of the state in September, which left nearly 60 people dead and displaced 80,000 from their homes.
Mr Khan reportedly used derogatory language against Mr Modi.
The commission had said the alleged "provocative" and "highly inflammatory" statements of the two political leaders were "being made with deliberate and malicious intention" of disturbing peace and harmony in the country. (
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