Congress Accuses PM Modi Of Violating Model Code Of Conduct

Indian National Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of perpetrating a violation of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct by announcing a five-year extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Ramesh alleges that the announcement was made in the midst of the Chhattisgarh election campaign with the aim of yielding undeserved gains in the election. He has also demanded the Election Commission’s intervention in this matter.

A desperate Prime Minister announced a five-year extension of the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana in the midst of the Chhattisgarh election campaign. This is a blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Will the @ECISVEEP take note and act?

Now, it turns out that the Union Cabinet… pic.twitter.com/YGmiiG2p7d

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 7, 2023

Moreover, Ramesh argues that Modi made the announcement bypassing the Union Cabinet, as a cabinet meeting had not yet been held at the time. He said that “Modi announces, cabinet decision follows” has become the norm in the country, as was the case with the demonetization announcement on November 8, 2016.

Ramesh also claimed that the PMGKY is a rebranded and repackaged version of the National Food Security Act, 2013, which was fiercely opposed by Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He further alleged that the decision to extend the PMGKY is an attempt to cover up the deepening economic distress and financial pain in the country.

Prime Minister Modi had announced the extension of the PMGKY, which was set to expire in December, for a period of five years to benefit 80 crore underprivileged families in the country. He also asserted that the poor are the largest caste in the country, criticizing the Congress party for promoting casteism.