Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

CPI(M) alleges breach of poll code by Planning Board

Special Correspondent

`Crucial decisions published in the media'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Legislature Party secretary T.M. Thomas Isaac has alleged breach of the model code of conduct, in force for the local-body elections, by the Planning Board, and urged the State Election Commission to initiate action against the Board's Vice-chairman, C.V. Padmarajan, and its members.

In a letter to the commission, released for publication here on Sunday, Dr. Isaac said the Vice-chairman and the members had violated the code by facilitating publication of the decisions taken at the September 7 meeting of the Board in the print and electronic media in a way that influenced voters.

Dr. Isaac contended that the decisions were crucial to the functioning of the local self-government institutions, and they signalled a shift from their present method of functioning. These related to devolution of funds to local bodies by taking into account their geographical and regional peculiarities, removal of controls on project planning and implementation, recruitment of panchayat development officers who will have powers to appoint and dismiss staff and dissolution of expert and technical committees.

He said it was inconceivable that these decisions found their way into the media without the knowledge of the Board's Vice-chairman. Since the Board had not taken any decision to strengthen the decentralisation process during the last four years of the United Democratic Front rule, those taken now and the publicity given to them were intended to influence the voters.

The Government, he said, had authorised the Board to conduct a review of the decentralised planning process, being implemented through the local self-government institutions over the last 10 years, and submit its recommendations.

The report taken up for consideration by the September 7 meeting related to this directive. Since the report proposed several changes from the present method of functioning of the local bodies, handing over the report to the media for publication was done for influencing the voters, he added.

Section 7 of the model code, spoke of the ways the parties in power should function during election time. Under these, the Board, an arm of the State Government, had the duty to ensure that its official status was not utilised for election campaigns.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

'Depoliticise local bodies to ensure development'
CPI(M) alleges breach of poll code by Planning Board
Pinarayi's poser to Congress on Emergency
Murder case: life term for three
After Plachimada, it is Gangaikondan
It is fete time for Mitraniketan
Honouring alumni
Irrigation reservoirs full
Arts for awareness
Around the City
In Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu