New Delhi: On Wednesday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) sought a reply from the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry on the launch of NaMo TV after complaints by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress. The NAMO TV- channel was launched by the BJP after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect. The channel was launched just days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, on March 31, and features PM Modi and his speeches along with BJP-centric content. Also, social media handles of BJP have been tweeting asking viewers to tune in to ‘NaMo TV’ and NaMo app for the PM’s rallies and speeches.
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Here it is to be noted that on Monday, the AAP had written to the EC complaining against the recently-launched 'Namo TV'. AAP asked the poll panel if political parties having TV channels was in adherence to the Model Code of Conduct and questioned the EC if the BJP had sought approval for the launch of the channel, which has Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph on its logo and runs all his speeches.
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Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday moved the EC against the BJP's alleged "misuse" of Doordarshan in broadcasting certain speeches by the Prime Minister and for using "Namo channel" as a tool for political campaigning. People can tune in to NaMo TV channel on Tata Sky (512), Airtel TV (110), Videocon D2H (102) and Dish TV (111) to watch live telecast of PM Modi's speech. According to reports, the EC has separately written to Doordarshan seeking to ascertain how the national broadcaster ran an hour-long live broadcast of PM Modi’s public address ‘mein bhi chowkidaar’ on March 31. The matter was raised by the Congress in its official complaint to the EC.