Congress leader TN Prathapan has filed a plea in the Supreme Court, challenging the televised national address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi aired by Doordarshan on 18th April.
The plea states that PM Modi delivered the national address at around 8:30 pm, hours after the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill collapsed in the parliament. In his address, PM Modi slammed the opposition parties for not voting against the bill.
In his plea, Congress leader TN Prathapan contends that PM Modi misused government-controlled television channels to attack political opponents during an active election period. The Congress leader claimed that this amounted to a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The plea also claims that since PM Modi’s address was aired by public broadcasters Doordarshan and Sansad TV, both of which are funded by public exchequer, the prime minister ‘misused’ the public machinery. The Congress leader claimed that this amounted to “corrupt practices” under Section 123(7) of the Representation of the People Act.
It further argued that MCC was in force in Kerala for the state assembly elections when PM Modi delivered the televised national address, yet the Election Commission took no action.
Notably, hours after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which included the women’s rights bill and the Delimitation proposal, was defeated, PM Modi delivered a national address.
He said, “Today, every citizen of India is witnessing how the dreams of India’s daughters and sisters have been crushed. I apologise to all mothers, sisters, and daughters for the failure to pass the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act….”
