New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Friday revoked the status of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as Congress’s star campaigner for by- elections in the state, for repeatedly violating the model code with his public utterances and breaching ethical and dignified behaviour.

The effect of the EC action is that any expenditure and campaigning by Kamal Nath will now have to be completely borne by the candidate of the constituency in which he campaigns. Kamal Nath reacted strongly and said now, the people will decide. This is an attempt to subdue and suppress my voice, to crush the voice of Congress. Truth can be harassed but not defeated, he said. People will support the truth. The Congress party said it would move to the Supreme Court against the undemocratic move. We are thankful to the EC for not revoking the citizenship of our leader Kamal Nath, said K. K. Mishra, who is the head of the Congress campaign in Gwalior- Chambal region, the home turf of Jyothiraditya Scindia.

The EC also passed an order against senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya for calling former Chief Ministers Digvijay Singh and Kamal Nath “Chunnu- Munnu” and “Gaddar” and alleging corruption in transfers. Rejecting Vijayvargiya’s defence that his statements- made at a rally in Sanwer, Gwalior, on October 14^th were not an attack on aspects of private lives of the duo, the EC advised him not to make use such words in public utterances during the model code period.