New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday address the nation in the 12th edition of his All India Radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ despite opposition objected to it in view of upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
Modi had earlier urged the nation to record their voice messages for the next show.
The Election Commission on Friday gave the go-ahead to the airing of Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme on Sunday, provided nothing is said that may be construed as inducement to voters or having an impact on poll-bound Bihar where model code of conduct is in force.
The Commission said it also has no objection to pre-broadcast publicity through different channels of AIR and Doordarshan.
“…the Commission has no objection to the broadcast of the programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ over All India Radio on September 20, 2015 and the pre-broadcast publicity through different channels of AIR and Doordarshan subject to the condition that nothing be said therein that may be construed as inducement to voters or as having any impact in election-bound state of Bihar where the Model Code of Conduct is in force from September 9 to November 12, 2015,” EC’s Principal Secretary K Ajaya Kumar said in the order addressed to I&B Ministry Special Secretary J S Mathur.
The programme was aired even during Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi Assembly polls. Congress had accused the PM of violating the model code in his October 3, 2014 episode. But the Commission “did not find anything” in the broadcast which constituted violation of the model code of conduct.
The first edition aired on October 3 last year.