PM Modi receives third clean chit from EC, 'Diwali Nukes' remark not an MCC violation says poll body

PM Narendra Modi has received yet another clean chit from the Election Commission in a complaint of violating the Model Code of Conduct.

The third in a row clean chit from the EC, was for Congress' complaint of April 22 to the poll body against the Prime Minister's speech in Barmer, Rajasthan for his 'Diwali nukes' comment.

The Prime Minister while addressing an election rally in Barmer had said that the BJP government, unlike the Congress administration, had refused to be intimidated by Pakistan's nuclear threats and had given it a fitting reply through the Balakot air strikes.

“What do we have then? Have we kept our nuclear bomb for Diwali,” he asked while affirming India's nuclear capability and military strength.

The EC order says:

In a matter related to a complaint concerning alleged violations of advisories of the Commission and Model Code of Conduct,  in a speech delivered by Shri Narendra Modi at Barmer, Rajasthan on 21.04.2019, a detailed report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Rajasthan was obtained. The matter has been examined in detail in accordance with the extant advisories, provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and after examination of complete transcript of speech of 10 pages as per the certified copy sent by the Returning Officer, 17 Barmer Parliamentary Constituency.  Commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted.

 

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Sources have said that the EC reads the entire speech to make a decision on the MCC violation complaints and not on the just fews lines in the complaint.

Earlier, PM Modi had received relief from a complaint against him for allegedly violating the MCC during a speech in Wardha, Maharashtra.

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In the April 1 rally, PM Modi had slammed Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala apart from his bastion Amethi in the Lok Sabha polls, saying Gandhi ran away to a place where the minority is in majority.

EC cleared PM Modi in another complaint of poll code violation against PM Modi. The complaint was against his statement in Latur in Maharashtra where he had said to first time voters- Can your vote be dedicated to the braves martyred in Pulwama?

READ | PM Narendra Modi Gets A Clean Chit From EC For Wardha Rally, Says 'no Code Violations Had Occurred'

An EC panel had also found that there were no violations of the Model Code of Conduct in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of the successful test of an anti-satellite missile