Fact Check: PM Modi’s image was covered at Kozhikode railway station as part of MCC
A picture of a board covering the Prime Minister's picture with paper in front of the 'One Station One Product' shop on platform number 4 of the station is circulating on social media with the caption that the picture of the Prime Minister is not allowed at the Kozhikode railway station.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 6 May 2024 11:08 PM IST
Claim: An image of PM Narendra Modi, on a shop at the Kozhikode railway station, was covered by the owner for personal reasons.
Fact: The claim is misleading. Government officials covered it as part of MCC guidelines in effect during polls.
Hyderabad: An image is circulating on social media claiming that a shopkeeper at the Kozhikode railway station in Kerala covered the prime minister’s picture with paper.
According to the posts, the picture is on the board of a ‘One Station One Product’ shop on platform 4. In the viral image, the picture of prime minister on the board can be seen covered with paper.
A Facebook profile posted the image with the caption, “Platform number 4, Kozhikode (Kerala) Railway Station! Picture of Indian Prime Minister is not allowed here!!.. The shop owner has blocked PM’s picture by pasting/covering it with a paper. Please circulate this message until it reaches to the concerned and Railway ministry. (sic)”
Source : Facebook
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim was misleading as it was not the shopkeeper who wanted the picture to be covered. It was done as part of MCC guidelines.
What are the MCC guidelines for displaying images?
It has been hinted that the concealment of the picture may have been a part of the election Model Code of Conduct since the covering of images, posters and statues has been done across the country once the MCC came into effect.
The MCC will stay in force from March 16, 2024 (the date of announcement of elections) to June 4 when the results will be declared.
As per MCC guidelines, “Issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and the misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of political news and publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided.” Under this rule, any public imagery related to political parties is covered. Even proposals made by the ruling party, advertisements of government schemes or others showing the benefit of political parties in the official media etc. are also prohibited.
We also contacted the shop owner to confirm this. Shahul Hameed, who runs the ‘One Station One Product’ stall on platform number 4 of the Kozhikode railway station, responded: “I did not hide the picture. The officers of the Commercial Division of Railways covered the picture as part of the Election Code of Conduct on day one. This happened not just at Kozhikode railway station. It is being done at every railway station. It is understood that the image of the PM will be covered until the election results are announced. After the viral picture went into circulation, the next day, the picture was covered completely with a railway sticker.”
He also shared with us the current picture of the board covered with the logo of the Railways.
Further, we spoke to Kozhikode railway station chief commercial inspector Khalil Rahman. He said, “On the day the election code of conduct came into force, as per the instructions of the railways, under the direction of the commercial section supervisor of each station, the parts containing the image of the prime minister were covered up. At the Kozhikode railway station, his picture was only at the ‘One Station One Product’ stall. In some other stations, the selfie point has been hidden as part of the MCC. The shopkeeper has nothing to do with it.”
Similarly, we found a report by The Times of India titled ‘Railways adheres to election guidelines, removes PM selfie booths and Modi images.’ The report stated, ‘to comply with the MCC, these images (at One Station One Product stalls) have been covered.” Recently, the prime minister’s picture was removed from the Covid-19 vaccination certificate as a part of the model code of conduct.
Hence, we can say that PM Modi’s image was covered at the Kozhikode railway station as part of the MCC guidelines for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
