Election Commission's nod to Narendra Modi's ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Friday gave the go-ahead to the airing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat programme on Sunday, provided nothing is said that may be construed as inducement to voters or having an impact on poll-bound Bihar, where model code of conduct is in force. The commission has thus rejected a demand made by the Congress and its allies that the PM’s programme be suspended till the elections in Bihar are over.
The EC order came in response to a clarification sought by the information and broadcasting ministry on the issue on September 15. The commission said it also has no objection to pre-broadcast publicity through different channels of AIR and Doordarshan. This newspaper had on September 17 reported that the commission was likely to give its clearance to the telecast of PM’s Mann Ki Baat programme.
“The commission has no objection to the broadcast of the programme Mann ki Baat over All-India Radio on September 20, 2015 and the pre-broadcast publicity through different channels of AIR and Doordarshan subject to the condition that nothing be said therein that may be construed as inducement to voters or as having any impact in election-bound state of Bihar, where the model code of conduct is in force from September 9 to November 12, 2015,” EC’s principal secretary K. Ajaya Kumar said in the order addressed to I&B ministry special secretary J.S. Mathur.
The EC has thus rejected a demand made by anti-BJP grand alliance that the PM’s programme be suspended till the elections in Bihar are over. Representatives of the Congress, the RJD and the JD(U),had on Wednesday approached the EC, seeking suspension of the programme till Bihar polls are over, raising doubts that it might be used it to influence voters.
“Permitting the Prime Minister to organise the Mann Ki Baat programme would be giving a completely unfair advantage to the BJP and will upset the level-playing field essential to uphold the neutrality and majesty of the electoral process,” the parties had said in its petition.
This is not the first time that the programme’s airing has been given a go-ahead as it was broadcast even during Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi Assembly polls.
