Congress leader moves SC alleging Modi’s DD speech violated MCC

New Delhi: Congress worker TN Prathapan has moved the Supreme Court accusing state-run channels Doordarshan and Sansad TV of violating the model code of conduct by telecasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on April 18.The petition, which has a flawed status on the SC website, claims that the Prime Minister’s speech blaming the opposition parties for the defeat of the 131st Constitutional Amendment was being used to influence voters in the ongoing elections. It was claimed that the use of publicly funded radio stations to broadcast political speeches amounted to an abuse of official mechanisms.This falls within the definition of corrupt practice under Section 123(7) of the Representation of the People Act, which prohibits the use of government machinery for electoral purposes, the plea said. It noted that a complaint was also submitted to the EC.