The BJP has filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) alleging that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made an inflammatory statement against Congress rebel candidate Devinder Kumar Bhutto during his address at a public gathering.

Bhutto is contesting the state assembly bypolls from the Kutlehar constituency on a BJP ticket.

In his written complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), BJP state office secretary Pramod Thakur stated Sukhu had said “Bhutto ko Kutto” during his election campaign in Himachal Pradesh, which, he emphasised, is highly derogatory and offensive.

“It not only shows complete disregard for basic human dignity but also has the potential to create an atmosphere of anarchy and unrest in the state,” the complaint stated.

The usage of such language by the sitting CM vying for a position of power sends a wrong message to the people of Himachal Pradesh and also promotes a culture of hatred, division, and intolerance among the citizens, which is detrimental to the democratic values that our country stands for, the complaint read.

Seeking the commission’s intervention, the complaint urges a thorough investigation into this matter and requests appropriate action. It emphasises the importance of ensuring that such incidents are not repeated and calls for necessary steps to be taken to prevent any further deterioration of the peaceful atmosphere in the state.

A complaint of a similar nature had also been sent by BJP’s media convener Karan Nanda on April 6 to the Election Commission against Sukhu, in which it was alleged that he had violated the Model Code of Conduct by making derogatory remarks against Bhutto which went viral on various social media platforms.

Devinder Kumar Bhutto is among the six Congress rebels who had cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha elections held on February 27 in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan, rendering a shocking defeat to Congress nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania later disqualified these rebels from the state legislative assembly under the anti-defection law for defying the party whip to be present in the House to vote in favour of the state government during the cut motion and Budget session.

After their disqualification, the rebel MLAs joined the BJP and are now contesting the bypolls on BJP ticket.