New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) Left parties have written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Saturday violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for elections and seeking action against him.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby and CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar wrote separately to the poll panel chief, alleging misuse of the public broadcaster to influence public opinion in states where polling is scheduled in coming days.
Baby, in his letter to the poll panel chief, called it a “serious violation” of the MCC by the prime minister, arising from the “misuse” of the public broadcaster, Doordarshan, to deliver a political speech.
“The content, tone, and messaging of the address can by no stretch of imagination be termed as governmental communication,” Baby said.
He said it was “blatantly political, targeting the opposition parties, naming many of them, and seeking to influence public opinion, including the voters of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, in favour of the ruling party”.
He said this constitutes a “flagrant breach” of the MCC provision laid down in Section 4 under the heading “Party in Power”.
“Usage of a public broadcaster as a platform for political messaging during an election by the incumbent prime minister creates an uneven playing field and undermines the principle of free and fair elections, which is the cornerstone of our parliamentary democratic framework,” he said.
He urged the EC to “take cognisance of this violation and urgently initiate appropriate proceedings against the Prime Minister and concerned authorities.” CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar, in his letter written on Sunday, said the prime minister’s address, delivered at a time when the MCC is in force in five states, was “political in nature” and contained “partisan assertions” and “selective narratives” aimed at influencing public opinion on an issue under active political contestation.
He said the broadcast of the address on public platforms such as Doordarshan and Sansad TV amounted to misuse of state resources. “The use of publicly funded platforms for what is essentially a political speech constitutes a grave breach of electoral norms,” Kumar said.
The CPI leader alleged that such actions undermine the level playing field that the poll body is mandated to ensure during elections.
He cautioned that failure to act could erode public confidence in the impartiality of the Election Commission (EC) and signal “institutional complicity”.
Kumar urged the EC to take “prompt and sincere action”, initiate an inquiry into the matter, and ensure accountability to preserve the sanctity of the electoral process.
In his address on Saturday, the prime minister lashed out at the Congress and its allies for defeating the bill on women’s reservation in legislatures, saying they committed the “sin of foeticide” and will face severe punishment from the women.
Modi apologised to the women and said the government may have lost the vote, but it will never give up its efforts to empower women.
The address was delivered a day after the Lower House of Parliament rejected a Constitution Amendment Bill to increase the number of Lok Sabha and assembly seats and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures under the Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhiniyam. PTI AO RT RT
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