Telangana's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has reacted strongly to the Election Commission barring its President K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR from campaigning for 48 hours from May 1, Wednesday. BRS Working President KT Rama Rao asked the poll panel why it did not take any action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

"Can’t the Election Commission see the provocative remarks of PM Modi. Zero action against Modi despite thousands of citizens’ complaints. No action against ‘foul-mouthed Cheap Minister of Telangana Revant’," he said, terming it a conspiracy by the PM and the CM. He asked why the BJP and the Congress were so shaken by KCR’s bus yatra.

"You can ban him [KCR] temporarily, you can’t kill the truth that he wants Telangana to know. Remember, the only people who are scared of you for speaking the hard truths are those who are living a lie," Rama Rao said.

The ECI had barred KCR, as Rao is popularly known, from campaigning for 48 hours for making derogatory and objectionable statements against Congress. It barred him from holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, shows and interviews, public utterances in media in connection with the ongoing elections for 48 hours, starting from 8 p.m. Wednesday (May 1).

Meanwhile, KCR said in his reaction that EC did not bar Revanth Reddy when he used foul language and threatening words against him. Addressing his bus yatra at Mahabubabad, the former Chief Minister said the EC banned him for 48 hours but he was urging BRS cadres to campaign for 96 hours.