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Monday, May 09, 2005

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Election Commission showed bias: Karat

Special Correspondent

"Disturbing trends during polls in West Bengal"

PATNA: After the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has now pointed an accusing finger at the Election Commission on the "disturbing trends" during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.

Prakash Karat, on his first visit to the State after taking over as CPI (M) general secretary, said the Election Commission functioned on constitutional lines and discharged its duties as per its defined role till J.M. Lyngdoh was Chief Election Commissioner. He had a good word for even M.S. Gill. There had been no complaints till then.

`Serious issue'

It was not just in Bihar but in West Bengal too the role of the Election Commission observers was in question. The issue raised by senior Election Commission officer L.V. Saptharishi was serious, he said and dismissed the allegations levelled against him [Mr. Saptharishi] by the BJP. Mr. Karat said Mr. Saptharishi could not have written a letter to the Union Law Minister without basis.

Mr. Karat said the EC observers in West Bengal had gone beyond their brief and interfered in the poll process by asking voters why they voted for the CPI (M), the reasons for the party's prolonged success and if they felt threatened by the party.

"That was not their job. We complained to the EC. Till Mr. Lyngdoh and Mr. Gill were there, there were no complaints," the CPI (M) leader said.

Integrity, independence

Mr. Karat said the importance of the EC lay in its independence and integrity and added nothing should happen to weaken or erode its credibility. He did not comment on the RJD's demand for the reconstitution of the EC saying the party valued its role in the public domain.

He said he hoped that the EC would hold talks with all political parties and ensure that such problems did not crop up again.

The RJD spokesman, Shivanand Tiwari, demanded that the EC make public the report submitted by the former Chapra District Magistrate, B.B. Pradhan, saying it was along the lines of the one submitted by Mr. Saptharishi. Mr. Pradhan had spoken of how EC officials had queried local police officials about their caste.

He charged that the confidence of the people had been eroded and it should make public these reports.

Mr. Tiwari advocated reservation in the Election Commission and in the judiciary to check caste bias. He suggested that one member could be from the general category, and the other two from the scheduled caste and the other backward castes.

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