New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India have written to the Election Commission seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his address to the nation following the defeat of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, Times of India reported.
The parties alleged that the speech violated the Model Code of Conduct in force ahead of assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. They stated that the address was political in nature and targeted opposition parties.
They also objected to the broadcast of the speech on Doordarshan and Sansad TV, stating that the use of public broadcasters for such communication during elections creates an uneven playing field.
Separately, CPI leaders raised concerns that the use of state resources for political messaging during the election period violates electoral norms. They warned that a lack of action could affect public confidence in the Election Commission.
Mamata Banerjee also accused the Prime Minister of misusing government machinery for political campaigning and said her party would file a complaint with the Election Commission.
The developments follow the Prime Minister’s address at 8:30 pm on Saturday, a day after the bill proposing 33% reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 was defeated in the Lok Sabha. In the speech, he criticised opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and DMK, for opposing the legislation.