The Election Commission (EC) on Friday ruled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation announcing the successful test of the anti-satellite missile (ASAT) did not violate the model code of conduct (MCC).

In a letter to CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri, who had filed a complaint about the issue, the poll panel said that the committee headed by Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena had submitted in its findings that the MCC provision regarding misuse of official mass media was “not attracted” in the said case.

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It added that the Commission had accepted the findings of the committee.

The poll panel said the committee received specific comments from Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) on the issue and while the former said the Prime Minister’s message was telecast on DD News from the feed as provided by news agency ANI, the latter responded that the audio output of DD News was used for dissemination over All India Radio Network.

The two broadcasters further said the address was not given live by them.

“The Committee has, therefore, reached the conclusion that the MCC provision regarding misuse of official mass media is not attracted in the case,” the poll panel said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday announced that India had demonstrated anti-satellite missile capability by shooting down a live satellite, describing it as a rare achievement that puts the country in an exclusive club of space superpowers.

The PM said that an indigenously-built anti-satellite (ASAT) missile successfully destroyed a target satellite in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) meaning that the country now has the ability to destroy any enemy satellite in space.

The PM’s message to the nation came at very short notice.

Following this, there emerged queries on whether PM Modi’s announcement of India’s successful demonstration of anti-satellite missile capability violated the poll code.

However, soon after the announcement, sources in the Election Commission (EC) had said that issues of national security do not fall under poll code ambit.

The opposition had also accused Prime Minister Modi of grossly violating the Model Code of Conduct by diverting nation’s attention from real issues ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

(With agency inputs)