EC’s clean chit to PM Modi on ‘N-button for Diwali’ remark

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) Thursday gave a clean chit to Prime minister Narendra Modi, saying he did not violate the model code of conduct during his election speech in Rajasthan’s border town of Barmer where he invoked the armed forces and said that India’s nuclear button was not kept to be used for Diwali.

This is the third clean chit by the EC to the prime minister in connection with poll-related speeches.

Officials said the commission examined the matter in detail and it was of the “considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted.”

The EC, they said, examined the complete certified transcript of the speech of 10 pages sent by the returning officer of the Barmer parliamentary constituency.

The Congress had moved the EC alleging that the prime minister “brazenly” violated the poll code by repeatedly invoking the armed forces in his speeches and demanded that a campaign ban be imposed on him for some time.

During a poll rally in Barmer on April 21, Mr Modi had said India is no more afraid of Pakistan’s nuclear threats.

“India has stopped getting scared of Pakistan’s threats, I have done right, no? Else every other day they (Pakistan) used to say ‘we have nuclear button’....What do we have then? Have we kept it (nuclear button) for Diwali?” he had said.

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