Did PM Modi's Broadcast Violate the Model Code of Conduct?

Model Code of Conduct Narendra Modi Election Commission Political Speech India Elections

May 5, 202612 min readAsia

Did PM Modi's Broadcast Violate the Model Code of Conduct?

Exploring allegations against PM Modi's recent address.

{"results": [{"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/did-the-prime-ministers-broadcast-violate-mcc-explained/article70938623.ece", "title": "Did the Prime Minister\u2019s broadcast violate MCC?", "author": "V. Venkatesan", "highlights": ["# Did the Prime Minister\u2019s broadcast violate MCC? | Explained - The Hindu\n\nPublished: 2026-05-05T08:30:00+05:30\nAuthor: V. Venkatesan\nType: Non-news\n\n## Summary\n\nThe Model Code of Enforcement, which guides political parties and candidates, has been questioned by the authorities regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address on April 18. The question is whether this violates the law, which prohibits the use of children in the age of 18. .\n\n## Story\n\nDid the Prime Minister\u2019s broadcast violate MCC? | Explained - The Hindu \u2716 You are logged in Loading... LOGOUT You don\u2019t have any Active Subscription. Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Your active subscription(s) Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription Products you've access to Additional Subscription Benefits Account Settings Need help with your subscription? # Did the Prime Minister\u2019s broadcast violate MCC? | Explained ## What does Part VII say about using public resources? How does election law treat such appeals? Can public broadcasters be used for campaign messaging? Why has the Election Commission not acted so far? Published - May 05, 2026 08:30 am IST READ LATER Prime Minister\u2019s address was carried live on Doordarshan, Sansad TV, and All India Radio | Photo Credit: PTI The story so far: The Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which guides political parties and candidates during elections, was first drafted by the Kerala government in 1960. The Election Commission (EC) formalised it in 1968, revised it in 1974, and added Part VII on the \u201cparty in power\u201d in 1979. Former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan enforced it with unprecedented rigour from 1991. Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s April 18 address has raised questions about whether the address violated the Code. Published - May 05, 2026 08:30 am IST - Copy link - Email - Facebook - Twitter - Telegram - LinkedIn - WhatsApp - Reddit READ LATER PRINT ### Related Topics The Hindu Explains/ Text and Context/ Election Commission of India 0 / 0 Sign in to unlock member-only benefits! - Access 10 free stories every month - Save stories to read later - Access to comment on every story - Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click - Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products ### Comments Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.\n\n## Entities\n\n### People\n\n- Narendra Modi"]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pms-address-violated-model-code-of-conduct-cpi-mp-alleges-in-letter-to-cec/article70880127.ece/amp/", "title": "PM's address violated Model Code of Conduct: CPI MP alleges in letter to CEC - The Hindu", "author": "PTI", "highlights": ["PM's address violated Model Code of Conduct: CPI MP alleges in letter to CEC - The Hindu\n[...]\n# PM's address violated Model Code of Conduct: CPI MP alleges in letter to CEC\n[...]\n18\n[...]\nthe Congress and its allies of\n[...]\nfrom the women for the "sin of\n[...]\neticide"\n[...]\nCPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) through his recent address to the nation, and sought immediate intervention by the poll panel.\n[...]\nIn a letter dated April 19, Mr. Kumar said the Prime Minister's address, delivered at a time when the MCC is in force in five States, was "political in nature" and contained "partisan assertions" and "selective narratives" aimed at influencing public opinion on an issue under active political contestation.\n[...]\nHe further said the broadcast of the address on public platforms such as Doordarshan and Sansad TV amounted to misuse of State resources.\n[...]\n"The use of publicly funded platforms for what is essentially a political speech constitutes a grave breach of electoral norms," Mr. Kumar said.\n[...]\nThe CPI leader argued that such actions undermine the level playing field that the poll body is mandated to ensure during elections. He cautioned that failure to act could erode public confidence in the impartiality of the commission and signal "institutional complicity".\n[...]\nMr. Kumar urged the commission to take "prompt and sincere action", initiate an inquiry into the matter, and ensure accountability to preserve the sanctity of the electoral process.\n[...]\nIn his address on Saturday (April 18, 2026), the Prime Minister warned the Congress and its allies of severe punishment from the women for the "sin of foeticide." Mr. Modi apologised to the women and said the government may have lost the vote, but it will never give up its efforts to empower women.\n[...]\n"The Congress and its allies have committed foeticide of the honest effort in front of the entire country in the House. Parties like the Congress, DMK, TMC and the SP are guilty of this foeticide," he said."]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/congress-candidate-moves-supreme-court-against-telecast-of-pm-modis-address/article70893967.ece", "title": "Congress candidate moves SC against telecast of PM\u2019s address - The Hindu", "author": "The Hindu Bureau", "highlights": ["# Congress candidate moves Supreme Court against telecast of PM Modi\u2019s address\n[...]\n## \u201cThe broadcast constituted a misuse of state machinery and official media for electoral gain, targeted at specific Opposition parties by name, and was delivered without any sanction, authority, or justification under Constitution or any law\u201d\n[...]\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an address to the nation on April 18, 2026, a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha. Credit: X/PMO\n[...]\nThree-time Congress MP from Kerala and a candidate in the 2026 Assembly elections, T.N. Prathapan, on Wednesday (April 22, 2026) moved the Supreme Court against the \u201ccomplete and inexplicable inaction\u201d on the part of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the face of \u201cflagrant violation\u201d of the Model Code of Conduct occasioned by the airing of \u201cpartisan political address\u201d delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeting Opposition parties by name on April 18, a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha.\n[...]\n\u201cThe broadcast constituted a misuse of state machinery and official media for electoral gain, targeted at specific Opposition political parties by name, and was delivered without any sanction, authority, or justification under the Constitution or any law. The petitioner contends that such inaction on the part of the Election Commission (EC) is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and constitutes an abdication of its solemn constitutional mandate,\u201d the petition, filed by advocate Suvidutt M.S., said."]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/more-than-700-activists-write-to-ec-alleging-mcc-violation-in-pm-address-to-the-nation/article70884992.ece", "title": "More than 700 activists write to EC alleging MCC violation in PM address to the nation - The Hindu", "author": "The Hindu Bureau", "highlights": ["More than 700 activists write to EC alleging MCC violation in PM address to the nation - The Hindu\n[...]\n# More than 700 activists write to EC alleging MCC violation in PM address to the nation\n[...]\n## \u201cIf the said address to the nation was delivered with the prior permission of the Election Commission, then equal time on the national media should be provided to other parties to present their points of view,\u201d the letter said.\n[...]\nIn a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner dated April 20, the activists demanded an inquiry into Modi\u2019s address to the nation two days ago, claiming that it was a \u2018clear and blatant\u2019 violation of the MCC. Photo credit: PMO\n[...]\nMore than 700 civil society activists, former bureaucrats and academics have written to the Election Commission alleging violation of model code of conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national address he delivered on women\u2019s reservation on April 18.\n[...]\nIn a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner dated April 20, the activists demanded an inquiry into Mr. Modi\u2019s address to the nation two days ago, claiming that it was a \u201cclear and blatant\u201d violation of the MCC."]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/pms-speech-didnt-violate-code-ec/article26681291.ece?homepage=true", "title": "PM\u2019s speech didn\u2019t violate the code of conduct: EC - The Hindu", "author": "Devesh K. Pandey", "highlights": ["PM\u2019s speech didn\u2019t violate the code of conduct: EC - The Hindu\n[...]\n# PM\u2019s speech didn\u2019t violate the code of conduct: EC\n[...]\nThe Election Commission said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s address to the natio n on the successful demonstration of the anti-satellite missile capability on Wednesday did not violate the model code of conduct.\n[...]\nIt arrived at the decision on the basis of a report submitted by a committee of officers.\n[...]\nIn a letter to the CPI(M), which had raised the issue, the EC said the committee had written to Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) to find out the source of feed of the speech. Doordarshan (News) Director-General Mayank Kumar Aggarwal informed the EC that Mr. Modi\u2019s message was telecast from the feed provided by ANI.\n[...]\nAt the second meeting of the committee, some senior AIR officials were summoned to understand the technical aspects of feeding and broadcast through AIR or DD.\n[...]\n\u201cAfter having consultation with the technical experts of AIR and detailed discussions among the members, the committee decided to enquire from DD and AIR whether the PM\u2019s address was telecast/broadcast live and what was the source...,\u201d said the EC.\n[...]\nThe committee then held the third meeting with the Directors-General of Doordarshan and AIR on Friday morning. As it turned out, the source of feed was a video received from ANI.\n[...]\nThe Prime Minsiter\u2019s message was telecast on more than 60 news channels in addition to Doordarshan."]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Model-code-violation-EC-gives-PM-a-clean-chit/article60389856.ece", "title": "Modi radio broadcast: EC gives him a clean chit", "author": "Special Correspondent", "highlights": ["Lit for LifeThe Huddle\n# Modi radio broadcast: EC gives him a clean chit\n## The EC said it "did not find anything in the broadcast matter which constituted violation of Model Code of Conduct."\nUpdated- November 17, 2021 04:15 am IST - New Delhi\nSpecial Correspondent\n* Copy link\n* Email\n* Facebook\n* Twitter\n* Telegram\n* LinkedIn\n* WhatsApp\n* Reddit\nREAD LATER\nRemoveSEE ALL\nPRINT\nThe Election Commission said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s radio broadcast on October 3 had not violated the Model Code of Conduct.\nResponding to a complaint filed by the Congress\u2019s Legal Cell Secretary K C Mittal, the EC said it \u201cdid not find anything in the broadcast matter which constituted violation of Model Code of Conduct.\u201d\nThe Model Code came into force on September 12 for the assembly elections in\u00a0Maharashtra\u00a0and Haryana, slated for October 15.\nPublished- October 10, 2014 08:15 pm IST\nRead Comments\n* Copy link\n* Email\n* Facebook\n* Twitter\n* Telegram\n* LinkedIn\n* WhatsApp\n* Reddit\nREAD LATER"]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/narendra-modi-didnt-seek-nod-for-tv-address-election-commission/article61567707.ece", "title": "PMO did not inform or seek permission for broadcast of Modi's address to nation: ECI", "author": "Special Correspondent", "highlights": ["PMO did not inform or seek permission for broadcast of Modi's address to nation: ECI - The Hindu\nOpen in The Hindu AppOpen Arrow\n[...]\n* Telegram\nyear\n[...]\nLok Sabha and Assembly Elections Results with The Hindu\n# PMO did not inform or seek permission for broadcast of Modi's address to nation: ECI\n## A committee is likely to finalise its report by Friday evening on whether any content of the PM\u2019s speech violated the Model Code of Conduct\nUpdated- November 28, 2021 10:01 am IST\nPublished- March 29, 2019 12:13 am IST - NEW DELHI\nSpecial Correspondent\n* Copy link\n* Email\n* Facebook\n* Twitter\n* Telegram\n* LinkedIn\n* WhatsApp\n* Reddit\nREAD LATER\nRemoveSEE ALL\nPRINT\n### Related Topics\nNarendra Modi/General Elections 2019"]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/invidious-speech-on-the-pms-speech-and-the-election-commission-of-india/article70889061.ece/amp/", "title": "\u200bInvidious speech: on the PM\u2019s speech and the Election Commission of India - The Hindu", "highlights": ["## The Election Commission of India\u2019s inaction on the Prime Minister\u2019s violations of model code is troubling\n[...]\nWhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s address to the nation on April 18 differed from a speech he made at a similar election-eve juncture in 2019, it was nonetheless problematic. In 2019, following a successful anti-satellite missile test, private news channels aired a speech by Mr. Modi extolling the mission and his government\u2019s commitment to the country\u2019s technological prowess even as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force ahead of the general election. Late last week, Mr. Modi\u2019s transgression was greater as Doordarshan and Sansad TV broadcast his speech even as he accused the Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party of committing the \u201csin of foeticide\u201d after they blocked the combined women\u2019s reservation and delimitation Bills, and suggested that women voters would punish them electorally in the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal elections on April 23. Thus far, the Opposition in Parliament as well as numerous academics and activists have written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) urging that the Election Commission of India (ECI) should sanction Mr. Modi for violating the MCC. In a familiar but also increasingly dispiriting turn, the ECI has yet to respond. It is expected to act reasonably quickly, as it has against Opposition parties.\n[...]\nSince the facts are not in dispute in this instance and the ECI\u2019s reluctance to sanction the Prime Minister has become well-known, it is hard to believe that the delay is benign. The constitutional body allowed the Prime Minister\u2019s monthly radio programme to continue broadcasting during the State polls in 2015 and 2017 and permitted NaMo TV to air in 2019 after prior approval of its contents. In 2024, the ECI issued a notice regarding a controversial speech by Mr. Modi in Rajasthan, but addressed it to the BJP president rather than to him. After the 2019 missile test, critics argued that the ECI\u2019s refusal to sanction had created a loophole whereby major announcements could be framed as \u2018official\u2019, thus having an electoral impact while affording the ECI plausible deniability. As the letter to the CEC specified, Mr. Modi\u2019s violation is clear if he delivered his address without the ECI\u2019s prior approval. If the ECI did approve it, it must explain why it saw fit to grant the Prime Minister this precious privilege, investigate the speech\u2019s contents, remove it from official platforms, and sanction Mr. Modi. The ECI\u2019s inaction \u2014 rendered more pronounced by the two States voting on April 23 \u2014 only reinforces its partisan character, and undermines the fairness of polls as well as its own credibility."]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/elections/model-code-of-conduct-explained-when-in-force-guidelines-and-action-on-violations/article67957740.ece", "title": "Lok Sabha Elections: What is the Model Code of Conduct, guidelines and the penalties for violation? - The Hindu", "author": "Suchitra Karthikeyan", "highlights": ["Lok Sabha Elections: What is the Model Code of Conduct, guidelines and the penalties for violation? - The Hindu\n[...]\n# What is Model Code of Conduct, and what are the penalties for violation? | Explained\n[...]\n## What is the Model Code of Conduct? Who has to follow it? What are the guidelines? What happens if violated?\n[...]\nThe Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately when the election schedule is announced by the Election Commission and remains in operation till the election process is complete. File (representational image) | Photo Credit: PTI\n[...]\nAs the Election Commission of India (EC) has announced the dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections today at 3 p.m., the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will come into force immediately and will be in place till election results are announced. As the tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on June 16, 2024, polls for its 543 seats must be held prior to it. Apart from the General Assembly polls, elections to State legislatures of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim will be held in the same time frame \u2013 April/May 2024.\n[...]\nHere\u2019s a look at the MCC, dates of enforcement, guidelines and penalties for violation"]}, {"url": "https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/narendra-modi-didnt-seek-nod-for-tv-address-election-commission/article26667752.ece?homepage=true", "title": "PMO did not inform or seek permission for broadcast of Modi's address to nation: ECI - The Hindu", "author": "Special Correspondent", "highlights": ["PMO did not inform or seek permission for broadcast of Modi's address to nation: ECI - The Hindu\n\n# PMO did not inform or seek permission for broadcast of Modi's address to nation: ECI\n[...]\n## A committee is likely to finalise its report by Friday evening on whether any content of the PM\u2019s speech violated the Model Code of Conduct\n[...]\nThe Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said a committee of officers was examining the responses received from Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) on Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s address to the nation on Wednesday announcing India\u2019s successful demonstration of anti-satellite missile capability.\n[...]\nThe committee, which has held two meetings so far, is likely to finalise its report by Friday evening on whether any content of the Prime Minister\u2019s speech violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Based on the findings, the ECI will take the final decision.\n[...]\nAt a press conference, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena said the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) had neither informed, nor sought any permission from the ECI for broadcast of his address. After the issue was raised, the ECI set up a committee to look into the matter.\n[...]\nSubsequently, the committee wrote to Doorsarshan and AIR to know about the source of their feed. It is learnt that the state broadcasters had taken the feed from a live broadcast made through private Internet video portal YouTube."]}]}*

Originally published by The Hindu.

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