New Delhi: The Election Commission on Monday censured Congress candidate Supriya Shrinate and BJP MP Dilip Ghosh for their alleged offensive and derogatory comments about Kangana Ranaut and Mamata Banerjee respectively. The two have been let off with a warning and told to watch their words in future. The EC has also asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP president J.P. Nadda to issue a specific advisory to all party leaders involved in the election campaign and in interactions in the public domain not to commit such type of violations, and follow the Model Code of Conduct in letter and in spirit so as not to trigger a chain reaction of similar comments vitiating the poll campaign.

Last week, the EC had issued a showcause notice to both Shrinate and Ghosh and asked them to explain.

The EC ticked off Shrinate for a post on her X handle on March 25 which targeted the BJP candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Kangana Ranaut, saying: “Kya bhav chal raha hai Mandi meinkoi batayega (Will someone tell what is the price in the market).” The EC said Shrinate had posted the same derogatory remarks on her Instagram handle as well. Shrinate denied writing such posts and said her social media posts are with several party workers and she was not aware who did this. She also condemned the comments made in her posts. However, the EC said her comments are “undignified and in bad taste and to be prima facie violative of the provisions of the MCC.

“The commission has carefully gone through the contents and averments made in the aforesaid reply of Supriya Shrinate and is convinced that she has made a low-level personal attack and thus violated the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct… Therefore, the commission hereby strongly condemns the impugned statements made by Supriya Shrinate and strongly censures her for the said misconduct. The commission also strictly warns her to remain careful in her public utterances during the currency of the Model Code of Conduct,” the EC said on Monday.

The EC added that it considers the whole process of conduct of the election as a major enhancer of status of women in lndia and was committed not to allow any erosion of this status in any manner during the election period under its own aegis.

To Ghosh, the EC said that after carefully going through the contents and averments made in his reply, the EC was convinced that he had made a low-level personal attack and thus violated the provisions of the Model Code. Ghosh was issued a showcause after a complaint by the Trinamul Congress over his comment made on March 26 about Mamata Banerjee, in which he said: “When Didi goes to Goa she says I am Goa’s daughter, in Tripura she says I am Tripura’s daughter. Decide who is your father, this is not right.” The EC in its notice had said his comments have been found to be offensive, insulting, and prima facie violative of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.

“Women have commanded the highest respect in lndian society, past and present, and the Indian Constitution and all institutions of the country have constantly pursued the ideas and ideals of ensuring the rights and dignity of women on all fronts and further empowering them,” the EC said, adding it “strongly condemns the impugned statements made by Dilip Ghosh and strongly censures him for the said misconduct''. The commission also strictly warned him to remain careful in his public utterances during the currency of the MCC.