More than 700 citizens have reportedly written to the Election Commission of India, alleging that a national address by Narendra Modi on April 18 breached the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The signatories, including former civil servants, academics, activists, and journalists, are said to have argued that the use of official government platforms and mass media for what they described as electioneering and partisan messaging amounted to a serious violation of the MCC.
They pointed out that the address was broadcast live on publicly funded outlets such as Doordarshan, Sansad TV, and All India Radio, Scroll.in reported.
In the address, Modi had criticised Opposition parties for defeating a proposed amendment related to the Women's Reservation Act, 2023 in the Lok Sabha and for opposing constituency delimitation. He reportedly accused them of acting out of political self-interest and of undermining the vision of the Constitution’s framers.
The letter’s signatories contended that the speech, delivered in an official capacity and aired using state resources, violated provisions under Section VII of the MCC, which restrict the ruling party from misusing its position.
The complaint comes amid ongoing Assembly elections in states including Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, with voting schedules spread across April.
The group has urged the poll body to initiate an inquiry into the matter. They also reportedly stated that if the address had been permitted by the Commission, equal airtime should be provided on national broadcasters to other political parties to present their views.
Among the signatories were individuals such as transparency activist Anjali Bharadwaj, former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, political economist Parakala Prabhakar, activist Yogendra Yadav and former civil servants Ashish Joshi, Amitabha Pande and Avay Shukla.