Congress flags MCC breach over Chai Pe Charcha telecast with Bill Gates, PM Modi

New Delhi: Congress has filed a complaint alleging a violation of the Model Code of Conduct due to the telecast of ‘Chai Pe Charcha,’ a media outreach project by prime minister Narendra Modi.

In a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI), AICC member and senior vice-president and chairman, the election commission coordination committee G Niranjan wrote that PM Modi has intended undue influence on voters with the telecast of the latest episode of Chai Pe Charcha which features Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

In his letter, he stated that during the election campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019, Modi and the BJP had launched a vigorous election campaign throughout the country under the banner of Chai Pe Charcha. At every nook and corner, the party had arranged a TV and chairs for people to sit and watch the program together.

"This time Modi has invented a new method of election campaign by telecasting Chai Pe Charcha telecast with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates from PM’s house which was picked up by news channels and print media. Almost all TV channels had the interview telecasted live on March 29. This was done by PM Modi to show his proximity to Bill Gates and in turn to influence the voters which is objectionable and against the MCC,” he stated in the letter.

The ECI issued the election schedule on March 16 and MCC has been in force since then. The notifications for the first and second phases of elections were issued on March 20 and 28 respectively.

According to the MCC guidelines, ‘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.’

Niranjan stated that the Chai Pe Charcha programme by PM Modi is against the principle of levelling the playing field and requested the ECI to take immediate action.