700+ Concerned Citizens Move ECI Over ‘MCC Violation’ in PM Modi’s Address

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More than 700 citizens have approached the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during a national address on the Delimitation linked amendments to women’s reservation law.EC's Submission to SC on Form 17C Shows an Undemocratic Mindset Towards CitizensThe complaint pertains to an address delivered on 18 April 2026, which was broadcast across official platforms including Doordarshan, Sansad TV, and All India Radio.Activists, former bureaucrats, and academics wrote a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)  on 20 April 2026, highlighting PM Modi’s “serious breach of the MCC.” The signatories of the letter claim that the national address violated clauses 1(a), 1(b), and 4 of Section VII of the MCC, using “official mass media at public expense”, leading to electioneering and propaganda. In his address, Modi was critical of the opposition party standing against the women’s reservation bill, saying that they were acting out of “selfish political interests." He went on to say that this was an “attack on women’s dignity.” This statement was made while Assembly elections were taking place in multiple states. The signatories claim that the address made by Mr. Modi provided an undue advantage to the party in power, meddling with the “level playing field required for free and fair elections.” On Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' Charges, CEC Has Much to Answer forThe signatories request the ECI to take cognisance of this complaint, examine the transcript of the address with regards to the violations stated, issue the necessary actions, and inform the signatories at the earliest. They also urge for an investigation into whether the national address was given with prior permission from the ECI. In the case that no permission was received, the signatories ask to remove the speech from all official records and websites, and that the ECI take necessary action. The list of the signatories includes former Civil Servant Ashish Joshi, former professor G N Devy, politician Yogendra Yadav, and others.