New Delhi: The Election Commission is examining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks urging youth to vote in the name of those who carried out Balakot airstrikes, but its grievance redressal portal shows that the complaint has been “resolved”.
Now, the commission has sought an explanation from the concerned returning officer for the error.
“The status should have shown that the matter has been referred to Election Commission headquarters. But the entry reflected that the complaint as resolved … it is being rectified,” explained a senior EC functionary.
Addressing a rally in Ausa in Maharashtra’s Latur on April 9, Modi said, “Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the airstrike.”
“I want to tell the first-time voters, can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the airstrike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack),” Modi had said.
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Mahendra Singh had lodged a complaint on the EC’s ‘National Grievances Service’ portal.
The status shows that the complaint has been ‘resolved’.
The commission is examining the report from local poll authorities who have said that prima facie, the PM has violated the EC’s instructions against invoking armed forces in election campaign.
On Wednesday, EC officials were asked at a press briefing as to why the complaint against the PM and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were not available in the ‘model code of conduct violation’ section of the main EC website. Deputy EC Sandeep Saxena said the complaints are with the EC and their non-availability on the main website’s MCC violation section does not mean that they have not been received.
The National Grievances Service portal is a stand alone website created to help citizens lodge “election and non-election” complaints.