EC Gives PM Modi a Clean Chit for Latur Speech Invoking Pulwama

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

(Photo: PTI)

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday, 1 May, gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his speech in Maharashtra's Latur, wherein he asked people to dedicate their votes to the jawans killed in the Pulwama terror attack and the soldiers who carried out the Balakot airstrikes.

The poll body said that there was no violation of the Model Code of Conduct in the speech, given on 9 April.

The EC's decision comes a day after it gave a clean chit to Modi over the Congress' complaint alleging Model Code of Conduct violation during his speech in Maharashtra's Wardha, which the Congress had termed as 'divisive'.

“The Commission is of the considered view that in this matter, no such violation has been noticed,” the EC statement had said.

Modi had claimed in a rally at Wardha, Maharashtra, on 1 April, that the Congress had been forced to contest from places dominated by the minority community, referring to Rahul Gandhi’s decision to fight from Wayanad.

“The Congress insulted Hindus, and the people of the country have decided to punish the party in the election. Leaders of that party are now scared of contesting from constituencies dominated by the majority (Hindu) population. That is why, they are forced to take refuge in places where the majority is a minority,” Modi said.