The Election Commission has sought a report on roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao’s reference to religion during a speech in East Godavari on Monday as part of poll campaign. Chief electoral officer Bhanwar Lal on Tuesday directed East Godavari district collector Neetu Prasad to submit a report on the incident.
Seemingly unnerved at YSR Congress increasingly consolidating its position among Christians, the minister, as part of the ruling party’s counter-strategy, explained to the electorate about the Congress party’s association with Christianity. Taking an apparent dig at YSR Congress leaders for claiming to enjoy support among Christians, Prasada Rao asked, who is a truer Christian than Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who comes from near the Vatican City. He exhorted people from Scheduled Caste sections not to fall prey to Jagan Mohan Reddy’s claims of being a true Christian.
The EC had earlier taken note of Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s censure of Jagan Mohan Reddy for entering Tirumala temple without signing the declaration despite being a non-Hindu. The poll panel has asked the collector to submit a report on this incident, too. Meanwhile, chief electoral officer Bhanwar Lal directed the excise department not to supply additional stocks of liquor to districts going to the polls. Reviewing figures of supplies for corresponding period in the last financial year, the EC asked the commissioner to stick to those quantities.
He turned down the contention that sales may go up due to the overall rise in consumption of alcohol. The EC also asked the excise department to start a special drive to arrest illicitly distilled liquor and destroy manufacturing facilities.