EC clean chits to PM for 'Congress a sinking Titanic' and 'India gave befitting reply to Pak' remarks

The Election Commission on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark in which he descibed the Congress to be "like a Titanic ship which is sinking" was not violative of the Model Code of Conduct. The poll panel also gave clean chit to the prime minister for the remarks made during an interview to a TV channel in Varanasi where he invoked the armed forces and said that India have befitting reply to Pakistan.

Addressing a poll rally in Nanded on April 6, PM Modi had dismissed electoral challenge from the Congress party, describing it to be "like a Titanic ship which is sinking", while also slamming it for promising to scrap the sedition law.

"The Congress is like a Titanic ship which is sinking," Modi said, adding the party was reduced to just 44 seats in 2014 and it stares at a worse situation this time around.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi, he had said that the Congress chief has traced a seat using microscope from which he can take on the BJP.

Modi was apparently referring to the Wayanad seat in Kerala from where Rahul is contesting, besides Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. He had reportedly said that in Wayanad, the country's majority is in minority.

"In a matter related to a complaint concerning alleged violations of advisories of the Commission and Model Code of Conduct, in a speech delivered by Narendra Modi at Nanded, Maharashtra on April 6, a detailed report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra was obtained. The matter has been examined in detail ... (the) Commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted," the EC said.

On April 25, addressing a rally in Varanasi, PM Modi had stressed on national security, saying a New India gives a befitting reply to Pakistan. 

In an apparent reference to the Balakot air strike after Pakistan-based militants killed 40 paramilitary men in Pulwama, he said the world now backed India in its fight against terror.

In the last few days, the Election Commission has given five clean chits to PM Modi on complaints of poll code violation filed by the Congress. 

On Thursday, the poll panel gave PM Modi a clean chit saying he did not violate the model code of conduct during his election speech in Rajasthan's border town of Barmer where he invoked the armed forces and said that India's nuclear button was not kept to be used for Diwali. 

"India has stopped getting scared of Pakistan's threats, I have done right, no? Else every other day they (Pakistan) used to say 'we have nuclear button'....What do we have then? Have we kept it (nuclear button) for Diwali?" he had said.

On Wednesday, the Election Commission had said that PM Modi's call to first-time voters to dedicate their votes to Pulwama martyrs was not violative of its advisory on invoking armed forces. 

Addressing a rally in Ausa of Latur in Maharashtra on April 9, PM Modi had urged young voters to cast ballots in the name of heroes of the Balakot air strike.

On Tuesday, the poll panel had given clean chit to PM Modi for his speech in Wardha in which he had slammed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad and had "indicated" that the Kerala constituency had more voters from the minority community. 

The PM, while addressing a rally in Wardha on April 1, had reportedly said, the opposition party was "scared" to field its leaders from constituencies where the majority dominates. 

He made the remark in reference to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from a second Lok Sabha seat Wayanad in Kerala. Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi.