EC rejects grand alliance plea seeking ban on PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday rejected a plea of grand alliance of Congress, RJD and JD-U) seeking a temporary ban on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' program, until the Bihar Assembly Elections conclude on 8 November.

The EC has issued the order in response to a clarification sought by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on the issue on September 15.

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 and B Ministry Special Secretary JS Mathur.

The Congress had ealier alleged that PM's radio speeches, Mann Ki Baat, "violates" the model code of conduct in force due to Bihar Assembly polls. 

The rejection of the Election Commission was expected as the poll panel, on numerous occasions, had clarified that the model code of conduct does not restrict day-to-day functioning of the government or stop an ongoing program.

The model code of conduct only prohibits the announcement of policies and promises that could influence the minds of voters in the poll-bound state.

PM Modi's 12th edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' program is scheduled to be aired on Sunday (20 September), but there is no official confirmation regarding this so far.

In the previous editions of the programme, Prime Minister Modi had addressed farmers, students and teachers, and had spoken on various issues, including the declining sex ratio, high rate of casualties in road accidents and the Land Acquisition Bill.     

In Bihar, the polls for the 243-member Bihar Assembly will take place between October 12 to November 5.