Congress leader and former MLA Anil Akkara has approached the Election Commission of India, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) through his address to the nation on Saturday, using a government-controlled broadcaster to target the Opposition after the women’s reservation Bill was defeated in Parliament. 

In his complaint addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Akkara pointed out that Assembly elections were currently underway in states including Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal, with the MCC being in force till May 6. Akkara, the former Wadakkanchery MLA, said despite this, the Prime Minister delivered a televised address at 8.30 pm on Saturday through Doordarshan, which he described as a government-controlled platform, thereby constituting a violation of election norms. 

Akkara also said that the Prime Minister, by naming political parties contesting in poll-bound states during the address, misused official machinery and his position. He termed the speech ‘a grave breach of election protocols’ and alleged that it was against the spirit of democratic norms. Seeking action, the Congress leader urged the Election Commission to conduct a detailed investigation and initiate legal proceedings against those involved, including the Prime Minister, under relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. 

The complaint comes a day after the Prime Minister’s address to the nation following the defeat of the women’s reservation Bill in Parliament. During the address, Modi criticised opposition parties including the Congress, DMK, TMC and the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of engaging in ‘self-serving politics’ at the cost of women and ‘crushing’ their aspirations. He also warned that women across the country would ‘severely punish’ them.