Sunday, May 11, 2014

"Timid men can dwarf high office"

Narendra Modi, the saviour or the destroyer of the nation depending on one's political proclivities, was denied permission to conduct a rally in a particular place in Varanasi. Modi is a contestant in Varanasi. So, denying him the right to hold rallies is non-democratic. The Election Commission was expected to protect the contestant's rights. On the contrary, the EC supported the denial of permission. In the process, the Commission proved itself to be derelict and thereby demeaned itself.

What makes EC's dereliction even more palpable and anti-democratic was the ease with which Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal were allowed to conduct rallies in the same place. In case Modi loses in this constituency, EC will be administered some bitter medicine by the judiciary.

Arun Jaitley's comment that timid pen can dwarf high office is a justified understatement. It is interesting to note that the same constitutional post can be occupied by both dauntless Seshan and spineless Sampath.

Ashok Malik has the following to say in Economic Times:

Narendra Modi denied permission to hold Varanasi rally: Was EC justified in standing by DM?


By Ashok Malik

This is a polite newspaper. It does not allow use of unparliamentary language and of a three-letter word beginning with l and ending with e. As such, one must resort to a euphemism to ask if the district magistrate (DM) of Varanasi district and the returning officer of the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency has been economical with the truth. Establishing that point is key to understanding whether the BJP was justified in protesting against the di .. 




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