Anubhi Saxena
NEW DELHI | The Election Commission of India, on Wednesday had set up a committee of officers to inspect if Prime Minister Narendra Modi breached the model code of conduct by directing the nation to advertise “Mission Shakti”. The EC move came after several political parties alleged that Modi had violated the code.
While directing, Narendra Modi on Wednesday declared that India had signified anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite, narrating it as a golden procurement that puts the country in a space superpowers.
The committee will be chaired by deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena. The action came in response through a complaint lodged by the CPM’s Sitaram Yechury over Narendra Modi’s address to the nation today on “Mission Shakti”. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has ordered officials to analyse Modi’s address’s transcript and another review will likely be taken on Thursday. A government source claimed the PM was within his rights to make announcement as he heads the Department of Space that coordinates and conducts the test.
By then, Yechury’s rival back in Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already taken a sharp turn a Modi, describing his address to the nation as a “limitless drama” and announcing that she will file a formal complaint with the Election Commission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted about his address to the nation to broadcast an “important message” about 15 minutes after the anti-satellite missile was launched from Odisha’s Balasore.
During his address, he spoke about the successful test that had prompted India in the elite space club that comprised the US, Russia and China. “In the journey of every nation there are moments that bring utmost pride and have a historic impact on generations to come. One such moment is today,” said the PM.
Mission Shakti, which was led by the DRDO, was aimed at strengthening India’s overall security, he said in his address that comes a fortnight before the start of the general election.
“Outer space has today become a critical part of our day to day lives. It is no longer as far as it appears. A large number of Indian satellites are today orbiting around the earth helping our farmers, our fishermen, our students, our armed forces and our workers in different ways”, Modi said.
The model code is sketched to make sure that the party in power does not get an unfair advantage in battling and affecting voters. The code is invoked to prevent the political executive from promising financial grants, large projects or making ad-hoc government appointments.
