NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday issued a notice to Trinamool Congress leader Sujata Mondal Khan for her alleged comments on scheduled castes and gave her 24 hours to make her stand clear.
The notice said that she should also explain why her status as 'star campaigner' should not be withdrawn.
The BJP had moved the poll panel with a complaint against Khan, it said.
According to a portion of her remarks reproduced in the notice, the TMC leader had reportedly said that "as there is a scarcity of resources in the schedule caste families, no matter how much, Mamata Bandyopadhyay has helped them, the scarcity will not go".
"As there a is a saying, some are actually beggars and others are beggars by nature. the schedule castes here are beggars by nature, and in spite of Mamata Bandyopadhyay (CM Mamata Banerjee) helping them so much, still they have been sold to BJP at a petty amount and are now torturing us," according to Khan's remarks reproduced in the notice The notice said the poll panel has found her remarks violative of the model code and provisions of the Indian Penal Code.