# Bengal

TMC MP complains to EC, says Modi violated poll code

TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Sunday complained to the Election Commission (EC) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct by extending the free ration scheme for the poor by another five years.

SNS | Kolkata | November 6, 2023 8:15 am

TMC MP complains to EC, says Modi violated poll code

TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Sunday complained to the Election Commission (EC) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct by extending the free ration scheme for the poor by another five years. In a letter to the EC, Gokhale said that Modi’s announcement from an election rally in Chhattisgarh on Saturday to extend the free ration scheme is tantamount to violating the Model Code of Conduct.

He also shared his letter in the social media. In his letter, Gokhale said, “On November 4, Prime Minister Modi announced the extension of the free ration project for the next five years. This is a policy decision which could’ve been announced some other time. However, Prime Minister Modi chose to announce this at the BJP’s election gathering in Chhattisgarh.

“According to the Election Commission’s rules, ministers making such an announcement prior to elections can have an undue influence on voters by using state machinery.” Referring to Section 7 of the Model Code of Conduct of the Election Commission, Gokhale said, “Once the elections are announced, ministers and other officials are not allowed to make any new announcements or promises relating to finance.”

The free ration project was initiated by the BJP government during the COVID19 pandemic. Over the past few years, the deadline for this project has been extended multiple times. Addressing an election rally in Durg on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi had said, “When the Covid crisis hit the nation, the biggest concern for the poor was availability of food for their children.

At that time, I decided to ensure that no poor person goes to sleep empty stomach. That’s why the BJP government initiated the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The deadline for this project will end in December. I want to tell the country’s poor brothers and sisters from the soil of Durg that the BJP government is extending this scheme for another five years.”