PM Narendra Modi's Mission Shakti Speech Gets Clean Chit, Election Commission Says 'No Violation of Model Code of Conduct'
EC's decision comes days after the opposition parties claimed that the Prime Minister was trying to gain political points two weeks before the national elections.
New Delhi, March 29: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'Mission Shakti' speech and said it was not a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. EC's decision comes days after the opposition parties claimed that the Prime Minister was trying to gain political points two weeks before the national elections by talking about the operation and highlighting the achievements of the Modi government. 2010 to 2019: India's Journey From Building ASAT Weapon to Becoming Space Power And DRDO's 'Mission Shakti'.
On Thursday, the EC had said it is examining all the details- including the speech and the claims by the Opposition and will decide on Friday if the Prime Minister had violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) when he announced the successful test of anti-satellite missile (A-SAT) in his address to the nation on Wednesday. The poll panel examined three aspects of the matter- MCC, law and media. India Becomes Elite Space Power With Successful 'Mission Shakti' Test, Indian A-SAT Missile Shoots Down Low Earth Orbit Live Satellite in Space.
He said the committee had written to Doordarshan and All India Radio seeking details of the source of the video feed, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena said. Saxena, who heads the committee, said the EC is going into the entirety of the matter essentially to see if there was a violation of the MCC and it is being inquired. "We are quite hopeful that we should be able to complete it very soon. We are trying by tomorrow we should be able to complete our inquiry," he said. What is Low Earth Orbit and Anti-Satellite Weapon? Know About India's 'Mission Shakti' and List of Super Elite Space Power Countries.
The Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 10, after the Election Commission announced the dates for the Lok Sabha polls. The voting for the upcoming polls in seven phases is scheduled to begin from April 11 to May 19, with the results announced on May 23.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday had announced that India had shot down a live satellite in space, terming the operation as 'Mission Shakti'. In his address, the Prime Minister announced that India has demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite on a Low Earth Orbit and it was the fourth country to do so. The Opposition congratulated the scientists for the successful launch but criticised the government for the manner of the announcement as it came just weeks before the Lok Sabha elections are set to begin.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2019 11:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).