Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not violate the model code of conduct when he suggested at an election meeting that Rahul Gandhi had been “compelled to take shelter in a place where the majority is in the minority”, the Election Commission concluded on Tuesday night.
Modi delivered the speech in Maharashtra, without naming Rahul but leaving no one in doubt that he meant the Wayanad seat in Kerala, on April 1. The Congress filed a complaint on April 5.
The EC reached the conclusion on the last day of April, by when four phases of elections had been held in 373 seats. The panel’s decision on Modi came on a day the Supreme Court asked it to respond to allegations of inaction.
On Tuesday, the EC pulled off another exemplary feat, too. It banned the Gujarat BJP chief from campaigning from May 2 to May 5 for using abusive language on April 7.
A small detail: The Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat concluded on April 23.
