PM Modi's speech on women's quota bill defeat: Why 700 activists, leaders wrote to ECI against it

More than 700 people have filed a complaint against PM Modi after his April 18 nationwide address following the women's quota bill defeat, arguing that it was a "clear and blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)".

In the complaint written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the citizens alleged that PM Modi's use of "official government machinery and mass media" for talking about election-related matters in a "partisan" way was the reason for the MCC breach—and the complaint.

It added that the nationwide address had also given PM Modi an "undue advantage" to get his point across—about the failure of the women's reservation bill because the Opposition blocked it in the Lok Sabha.

"Such action provides an undue advantage to the party in power and undermines the level playing field essential for free and fair elections," the complaint read.

Pointing out that the April 18 speech had violated Clauses 1(a), 1(b), and 4 of Section VII of the MCC, they urged the CEC to initiate an official inquiry into the alleged breach and take legal action.

They also urged the CEC to give the Opposition parties equal time to deliver such a nationwide speech, if PM Modi had made the April 18 speech with the Election Commission of India's (ECI) prior permission.

"However, if it was not done with the ECI's prior permission and constitutes a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, the ECI should immediately order the removal of this speech from all official records, government websites, and media platforms, and take other suitable deterrent action for the violation," the complaint demanded.

What was PM Modi's April 18 speech about?

In a brief—but loaded—address to the nation on April 18, PM Narendra Modi hit out at the Opposition for blocking the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to implement women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, in addition to delimitation.

Despite the women's quota bill garnering support from 298 MPs in the Lok Sabha, it faced stiff opposition from 230 other MPs—meaning it passed the simple vote tally condition, but failed to achieve the special 2/3 majority required for it to finally pass through the Lok Sabha.

The speech angered the Opposition, which lashed out at PM Modi, making similar claims that the speech had violated the MCC, and challenging the NDA government to introduce the women's quota bill without the delimitation bill.