New Delhi: Congress leader and former MP TN Prathapan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Doordarshan on April 18, 2026. It has been said in the petition that this address is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and action should be taken against it.
Accused of targeting opposition parties
According to media reports, according to the petition, at around 8:30 pm on April 18, PM Modi addressed the nation on Doordarshan and Sansad TV. This speech came immediately after the political developments related to Nari Shakti Vandan Bill i.e. Women’s Reservation Bill.
Pratapan alleges that Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized many opposition parties including Congress, TMC, DMK and Samajwadi Party by name in his speech. Describing these parties as opponents of women’s reservation, he appealed to the voters to hold them accountable.
Question on use of government media
Let us tell you that TN Prathapan also said that using government controlled Doordarshan and Sansad TV during elections to criticize the opposition is a clear violation of MCC. In the petition it has been described as misuse of government machinery.
Pratapan’s argument here is that this falls under the category of corrupt practices under Section 123(7) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The petition also said that despite complaining to the Election Commission, no action was taken. Due to this, ECI did not fulfill its constitutional responsibility under Article 324.
PM’s statement on failure of women’s reservation bill
It is noteworthy that on Saturday (18 April 2026), the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill was discussed in the Lok Sabha. In this, there was a proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 and 33% women reservation. The government wanted to increase seats based on the 2011 census, but the opposition demanded implementing reservation without redistribution of existing seats.
The bill failed due to not getting two-thirds majority. PM Modi, in his nearly 30-minute address, held the opposition responsible for this. He described it as ‘feticide’ against women’s representation and asked voters to hold the opposition accountable.
PM Modi accused of spoiling the equitable election environment
Let us inform you that it was argued in the petition that this address created an uneven election environment. The ruling party got the opportunity to criticize the opposition from the state media, while the other candidates remained bound by the strict rules of the MCC.
TN Prathapan, assembly candidate from Manalur seat in Kerala, has sought to direct the Election Commission to take immediate action on violations of MCC and Representation of the People Act. This petition has been filed through advocate Suvidatt MS.
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