‘Modi’s speech didn’t violate electoral code’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on government-owned radio and TV to announce India's successful testing of its anti-satellite missile on March 27 did not violate the electoral code of conduct, Indian Election Commission has said.

The Commission, which had set up a committee of officers to look into the complaint by CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury in this regard, said late on Friday that it concurred with the findings of a committee set up by the EC that there had been no violation of the model code of conduct, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

The code is aimed at ensuring that the party in power does not get an unfair advantage in campaigning and influencing voters.

Referring to Modi's address to the nation after the test-firing of the missile on March 27, the EC evaluated if the government had misused the official mass media Doordarshan and All India Radio "for partisan coverage of political news and publicity'.

Doordarshan, however, told the committee that "the telecast of the Prime Minister's address on March 27 was not live" and it had played the feed received from news agency ANI.

"The committee has, therefore, reached the conclusion that the model code of conduct provision regarding misuse of official mass media.is not attracted in the instant case," the EC said, citing the report of the committee.

The model code of conduct is in place for parliamentary polls which begin on April 11 and end on May 19.