The Election Commission on Thursday said that it has given the Information and Broadcasting ministry time till Friday to give its response on NAMO TV pending which it will take a decision on its own. "The ministry has asked to give time till April 5 as they need to collect information from DTH platforms. No more time will be given to the ministry," said the EC.
Soon after its launch, PM Modi posted a tweet urging people to watch his interaction with chowkidars live on NaMoTV. The NAMO TV or Content TV is in the thick of controversy since April 1 when Congress and Aam Aadmi Party petitioned the Commission to take action against it for violating the Model Code of conduct and various other provisions for vitiating the level playing field by forcing campaign in the garb of news.
The controversy became big on Thursday when one of the DTH companies, Tata Sky in response to a question tweeted that NaMo TV is a "Hindi news service which provides the latest breaking news on national politics".
"The channel is added to all subscribers as a launch offer and there is no option to delete the individual channel," Tata Sky said in tweets.
As it led to angry reactions, the Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal clarified, "NaMo TV is not a Hindi News service. If someone in the frontline at Tata Sky has tweeted or said that it is a news service, it is a mistake."
"NaMo TV does not fall into any genre and the feed is coming from the BJP via Internet," he said adding that special services do not need a license.
The 24-vour channel borrows the PM's initials and his image for its logo, and is available on various DTH and cable TV platforms. It has been airing PM Modi's speeches and interviews of BJP leaders.
The EC will also take a call on PM Modi's controversial biopic on Friday in the full meeting of all three commissioners once the two Election commissioners who are on a visit return.
The EC said it has no further role to play in the case of Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh's matter as it has already forwarded its report to the President of India.
With President Ram Nath Kovind forwarding EC's report to the home ministry to take "necessary action" Kalyan Singh seems to heading for trouble. He was caught on camera campaigning for PM Narendra Modi in Aligarh.
The Commission refused permission for circulation to six campaign videos submitted by the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, including one about the Rafale row. According to the EC, one of the advertisements did not pass muster as it featured a disabled person. The poll body also took objection to an injection syringe filled with a tri-coloured liquid featured in one of the advertisements. The video on the Rafale fighter jet deal did not get clearance as a case related to the controversy is pending before the Supreme Court.