Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Fair umpire

The article "Election Commission must be a fair umpire" (Oct. 18) is highly biased. Is it not an open secret that musclemen of the ruling party have hitherto controlled elections in Bihar? The attribution of caste and communal motives to the pattern of official transfers and postings is mischievous.

K.R.A. Narasiah,
Chennai

If today the Election Commission is unsparing in its treatment of Lalu Prasad, it is because of the precedent he has set over the years as leader of the party in power. The Election Commission and the armed forces are among the very few institutions that are still respected by the common man. The media should refrain from casting aspersions on them.

Rajesh Singaravelu,
Bangalore

By posing the question, "has the Election Commission concluded that its primary responsibility in the current Assembly election is to ensure the defeat of Lalu Prasad and his party?" the writer has raised doubts about the Commission's integrity. The phrases used for describing Mr. Prasad's acts — transgressions, excesses, and misbehaviour with the bureaucracy — are mild as far as the RJD and its leader are concerned.

K.S. Ramakrishnan,
Chennai

The transfer of two CRPF officers by the Election Commission is correct. Such decisions reinforce our faith in the Commission. Let us not forget that in Bihar there is virtually no law and order. If the functioning of impartial constitutional bodies is also sought to be questioned, it will be impossible to conduct free and fair elections in the State.

Rajendra Sharma,
Hyderabad

The author has been more than unfair to the Election Commission. Anyone who is familiar with the RJD rule in Bihar will appreciate the Commission's decision.

G.M. Rama Rao,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

It would be naive to believe that the CRPF personnel met Mr. Prasad at midnight to discuss business. To attribute casteist motives to the Election Commission amounts to taking a simplistic view of the state of affairs in Bihar.

Vinoo Ramakrishnan,
Texas

The article has hit the nail on its head. The Election Commission may be under the impression that shock treatment such as transfers is necessary to ensure free and fair elections. But it only has a demoralising effect on the armed personnel. Mutual trust and non-interference will surely prove to be more productive than one-upmanship.

P.U. Krishnan,
Udhagamandalam, T.N.

The article reiterates the need for transparent and impartial handling of affairs by the Election Commission. The transfer of two CRPF officers for meeting a Union Minister, on orders from their Director-General, is surely uncalled for. The actions of Mr. Prasad and his relatives might have perhaps been enough to provoke a bureaucratic backlash. But that does not justify such action by a constitutional authority.

C.P. Velayudhan Nair,
Kochi, Kerala

The author is right in saying that the Commission is not fair when it comes to dealing with Mr. Prasad. Is it fair to blame him for whatever happens in Bihar? Patna-based media are totally biased. Mr. Prasad and the RJD cannot be blamed for having enjoyed power for 15 years — they have done so with a mandate from the downtrodden and not by a military coup.

Deepak Yadav,
New Delhi

It has been obvious for quite some time now that there is a grand coalition of `upper' caste elements in government departments and some sections of the media against the Yadavs in Bihar. For thousands of years `teach-them-a-lesson' has been the refrain against the lower castes when they have, in the perception of the `upper' castes, crossed the line drawn for them.

Media spotlight too is almost always on persons with criminal background fielded by the RJD. If the army is called in to arrest Lalu Prasad, it is O.K. But the request of the President of India to call in the army to stop communal riots in Gujarat is ignored and nothing happens. The media never notice a bias when the Election Commission replaces backward caste officers with forward caste officers in Bihar. Worse, no one files a PIL, and no organisation takes suo motu action.

A.R. Vattacary,
Mahe

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