Poll panel policy stops minister issuing report

New Delhi: The Election Commission's (EC's) directive to the central government on Thursday to avoid media briefings after cabinet meetings has forced Home Minister P. Chidambaram to put off his monthly report on the functioning of his ministry.

Sources in the poll panel said the directive was primarily a response to Chidambaram's request to present the report as he has been doing every month since taking charge of the ministry on December 1 last year in the wake of the terror attack on Mumbai.

But with the model code of conduct in place, the EC said an official platform should not be used for this.

In a statement issued here, the poll panel told the cabinet secretary to avoid media briefings after cabinet meetings. "Now that the model code of conduct is in force throughout India in view of the current general elections to the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim, the Commission would like to advise that such press conferences should be avoided, as far as possible, and the practice of issuing press releases may be resorted to in such cases," the statement said.