lok-sabha-elections

Updated: May 02, 2019 21:46 IST

The Election Commission on Thursday gave PM Narendra Modi a clean chit for his speech in Barmer where he had said that India’s nuclear weapons were not meant for Diwali.

Addressing an election speech in Barmer in Rajasthan, PM Narendra Modi had said, “Every other day they used to say ‘we have nuclear button, we have nuclear button’. What do we have then? Have we kept it for Diwali?”

He was referring to the diplomatic win in the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was taken captive by Pakistani forces after his MiG-21 bison was downed in an aerial engagement with the Pakistani air force after the air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot in Pakistan.

The Congress had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the PM’s speech claiming that it constituted a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

In its order, the Election Commission said, “The matter has been examined in detail in accordance with the extant advisories, provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and after examination of complete transcript of speech...Commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted.”