The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik on Sunday apologised for threatening the beneficiaries of Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin Yojana by warning them against attending Congress poll rallies.

Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, women between the ages of 21 to 65, whose annual family income is under Rs 2.5 lakh, receive Rs 1,500 per month in the form of direct bank transfers.

The polling for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will take place in a single phase on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23, alongside that of the Jharkhand elections.

Speaking at an election rally in Kolhapur on Saturday, Mahadik had said: “In the Congress rallies, if you spot women who availed of the Rs 1,500 under Ladki Bahin Yojana, then take their pictures…We will see them.”

“Taking from our government and singing their paeans, this would not be allowed,” The Indian Express quoted the MP as saying.

Also read: Can the Ladki Bahin scheme prove to be a gamechanger in Maharashtra elections?

The returning officer for Kolhapur South subsequently issued a notice to Mahadik, pointing out that he had violated the Model Code of Conduct, reported The Times of India. The MP was asked to issue a clarification regarding his statement.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines that all political parties, electoral candidates and governments must follow in the run-up to an election to ensure a level playing field.

On Monday, the State Election Commission filed a complaint against Mahadik, reported The Indian Express.

Apologising for his statement, the BJP leader said in a social media post: “My statement was not meant to insult any mother or sister.”

Mahadik said he had intended to highlight that the welfare scheme was successful only because of the ruling Mahayuti government. According to the MP, his reaction was a “natural” response to the “false propaganda” being spread by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra comprises the BJP, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena and the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.

“I have always respected women in my personal and political life,” said Mahadik in his apology. “My wife and I have always been doing good work for the self-reliance of women through Bhagirathi Mahila Sanstha for many years and will continue to do so.”

Mahadik’s remarks had drawn criticism from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.

Supriya Sule, leader of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, demanded a response from state Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

“Since Lok Sabha elections, such threats are being issued to voters,” Sule was quoted as saying by The Times of India. “They [the Maharashtra government] are not doing women any favour by giving this money, nor are they giving it from BJP’s pockets. This money is coming from taxes paid by citizens. As per the Constitution, any woman is free to attend any programme of any party.”

Sule also said that she would sue any persons who attempted to stop women from attending election rallies organised by Opposition parties. She also said that legal action would be taken in case the government halted payments to women under the Ladki Bahin scheme.