'PM Modi Photos on Boarding Pass': EC Asks Railways, Civil Aviation Ministry to Comply With Model Code of Conduct
Opposition parties had asked the EC to take strict action as the government is 'using the state machinery' to influence the voting pattern in favour of the ruling party.
New Delhi, April 2: Days after red-flagging the alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Indian Railways and the national flyer Air India, the Election Commission on Tuesday wrote to the Ministries of Railways and Civil Aviation, seeking strict compliance with the poll code ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Chairman, Railway Board, the polling body asked the two major state-run bodies to ensure all aspects of the MCC are adhered to by them. The EC also marked its dissent over the "noncompliance of lawful instructions and lackadaisical approach towards enforcing the model code of conduct". What is Model Code of Conduct and Why It's Imposed Before Elections?
On March 27, the Commission had written to both the Ministries, asking them why have the pictures of PM Modi had not been removed from rail tickets and Air India boarding passes even after the MCC had come into effect.
Opposition parties had asked the EC to take strict action as the government is "using the state machinery" to influence the voting pattern in favour of the ruling party.
The Railways had also drawn flak after social media was flooded with images of tea paper cups themed with Modi's key poll campaign of "Mai Bhi Chowkidar".
Following the row, the Commission had asked the Railways to "immediately scrap" all paper cups which feature the "Mai Bhi Chowkidar" slogan, as using them for serving tea would amount to violation of the poll code.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 02, 2019 05:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).