A controversy has erupted over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s April 18 ‘address to the nation’, with the Communist Party of India stating that the broadcast violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in poll-bound states.

CPI Rajya Sabha MP Sandosh Kumar P. has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar demanding action, arguing that the speech amounted to a political intervention aired through publicly funded platforms.

In his communication to the Election Commission of India, Sandosh Kumar stated that the prime minister’s speech contained partisan messaging intended to influence voters at a time when elections are imminent.

He objected particularly to the broadcast of the address on state-run channels such as Doordarshan and Sansad TV, describing it as a misuse of public resources that undermines electoral fairness and the principle of a level playing field during the enforcement of the MCC.

The row follows a day after the Union government’s attempt to remove the freeze on delimitation and expand the strength of the Lok Sabha to “operationalise” women’s reservation failed to secure approval in Parliament. 
In the televised address that followed, Modi launched a sharp attack on opposition parties, likening their parliamentary stand to “female foeticide”.

During the speech, the prime minister repeatedly named opposition parties including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress. The DMK and the TMC govern Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively, both of which are heading into elections later this month where the Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking electoral gains.

The Model Code of Conduct, which stipulates against the use of official mass media for the “partisan coverage of political news”, remains in force in these states.

Sandosh Kumar’s letter reads:

To,
Shri Gyanesh Kumar,
The Chief Election Commissioner,
Election Commission of India,
New Delhi

Sub: Violation of Model Code of Conduct through PM’s address

Respected Shri Gyanesh Kumar ji,

I write to draw your urgent attention to a serious violation of the Model Code of Conduct currently in force in five states. The recent address to the nation by the Prime Minister and BJP leader Shri Narendra Modi was, by all objective assessment, political in nature. It contained partisan assertions, selective narratives, and direct attempts at influencing public opinion on a matter that is under active political contestation.

What is even more concerning is that this address was broadcast on national public broadcasters such as Doordarshan and Sansad TV. The use of state resources and publicly funded platforms for disseminating what is essentially a political speech constitutes a grave breach of electoral norms. It undermines the level playing field that the Election Commission is constitutionally mandated to uphold during the period when the Model Code of Conduct is in operation.

Any failure to take cognisance of such an instance risks signalling institutional complicity and eroding public confidence in the impartiality of the Election Commission. I urge the Commission to take prompt and sincere action in this matter, initiate an inquiry, and ensure accountability so that the sanctity of the electoral process is preserved.

Yours sincerely,
Sandosh Kumar P.
Leader of the CPI in Rajya Sabha