Prez Murmu, PM Modi, Rahul greet states, UTs on formation day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi also extended their heartfelt greetings on the occasion.
The Election Commission said on Sunday that it has not found any model code violation in Niti Aayog sharing information with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on places where Prime Minister Narendra Modi decides to campaign.
Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena said the commission has disposed off the complaint as the prime minister is exempted from the provision that bars ministers from combining official visits with campaigning.
The exemption to the prime minister was given in October 2014. “It was not a one-time exemption but a standing instruction,” Saxena told reporters.
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Saxena added that for other ministers cannot combine election visit with an official visit.
Officials said the Niti Aayog had not shared any political data but district-level data with the PMO.
The EC had written to Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on May 4 flagging the allegations made by the Congress and the AAP.
Congress had alleged that PMO was misusing Niti Aayog and asking it to write letters to the district administrations and seeking details such as the cultural significance of the place.
Asking Kant to furnish the reply “immediately”, the EC had referred to the allegations that the Niti Aayog has asked officers in various states and Union territories to provide to the PMO write-ups about destinations of the prime minister’s campaign.
The EC also responded to a question on the Congress’s fresh complaint against information allegedly sought by an officer of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade from the Commerce Ministry on Start Up India, claiming that it was meant to be used for BJP’s manifesto.
Saxena said the ministry has been asked to respond.
Of the 11 complaints filed against PM Modi for poll violations, EC has given a clean chit to the PM in six cases.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refused to pass any order on the petition filed by the Congress on clean chit given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah by the Election Commission (EC) in a string of complaints of alleged poll violations.
(With agency inputs)
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