EC clean chit for PM’s Chitradurga speech; dissent continues

New Delhi: The Election Commission has given yet another clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his April 9 Chitradurga speech, which was similar to his Latur speech and referred to the Balakot air strike. Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa is learnt to have again given a dissenting view. However, the EC was unanimous in its decision to dismiss a Congress complaint against PM’s alleged ‘road show’ in Ahmedabad on voting day.

Modi in Chitradurga had exhorted first-time voters to dedicate their votes for the security forces. Lavasa reiterated his dissent on Modi’s Chitradurga speech and referred to EC’s March 9 and March 19 advisories asking political leaders to desist from using photographs of defence personnel or using their activities for political propaganda. Lavasa’s dissenting views broadly relate to speeches involving communal references or references to defence forces.

Lavasa has so far recorded at least six dissenting views in writing, including ones on speeches of Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. He also wanted his dissent be made public in the EC orders but the poll panel contends that these are executive orders and not quasi-judicial and there was no need to record the ‘minority view’.