New Delhi, January 28: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Anurag Thakur is under fire for his "goli maaro" remark while campaigning for a party candidate in Delhi. On being confronted by reporters seeking a clarification on his controversial statement, Thakur said the entire video should be watched before drawing any conclusion. Delhi Assembly Elections 2020: AAP Poised For Win Over BJP, Predicts Congress' Sachin Pilot.

In his defence, the BJP lawmaker asked his critics to gauge the sentiment of Delhi residents. "First you should watch the entire video...Then you should see the mood of the people of Delhi," Thakur said as he denied committing an offence or violating the poll code.

The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has sought a report on the remarks made by Thakur while addressing a meeting of BJP workers and supporters in Rithala, located in North West Delhi. The Opposition Congress had petitioned the Election Commission, seeking strict action against the Minister for his alleged provocative remarks.

"We have taken cognisance of the incident and have sought a report from the district election officer. However, we have not received any complaint so far," a senior official in the Delhi CEO Office said.

As per the video making the rounds, Thakur is seen shouting "Desh ke in gaddaro ko... (The traitors of this nation), and the crowd vociferously responding by saying, "goli maaro ***** ko (they must be shot dead)." The slogan was repeated several times at the rally.

Watch Video of Anurag Thakur's Controversial Slogan

Thakur, the Union Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, was present on the dias with all seven BJP Lok Sabha MPs of Delhi and Union Minister Giriraj Singh. They were canvassing for BJP candidate from the seat, Manish Chaudhary. The same rally was later addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2020 09:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).