The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Shocking

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 03, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Shocking

Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami’s suo motu recommendation to the President that Election Commissioner Navin Chawla be removed is shocking. It shows that there are cracks in the institution that nurtures democracy. An open rift in the Election Commission just before the general election does not augur well for the functioning of the largest democracy.

Syed Khaja,

New Delhi

* * *

The Hindu deserves to be complimented on the timely, lucid and unambiguous editorial “Shocking constitutional overreach” (Feb. 1). Why did Mr. Gopalaswami remain silent for one year after the BJP took up the matter with him in January 2008?

Whether Mr. Gopalaswami’s move was triggered by personal dislike or an attempt to put down a colleague who had differing opinions, one does not know. But one hopes it is not an expression of the CEC’s political preference.

P.N. Nagarajan,

Secunderabad

* * *

The seemingly intentional act of the CEC has placed what is perhaps one of the last non-corrupt institutions of Indian democracy under the cloud of grave suspicion. If Mr. Gopalaswami was so unhappy with his colleague, why did he not make his recommendation much earlier? That, instead, he waited till the nation switched itself into an election mode raises doubts, not over Mr. Chawla’s alleged political leanings, but Mr. Gopalaswami’s own.

Sham Sankar,

Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

It is Mr. Gopalaswami’s recommendation that smacks of partisan bias. The timing has exposed his prejudices and reduced the dignity of the important constitutional authority to political one-upmanship.

D. Davidson Jebaseelan,

Tiruchi

* * *

While eminent jurists, constitutional experts and leaders of political parties are airing their comments opposing or supporting Mr. Gopalaswami’s recommendation for the removal of his colleague, the editorial has aptly exposed his untimely, unwarranted and preposterous act. How could a seasoned and experienced administrator like Mr. Gopalaswami ignore the Supreme Court’s observations in the T.N. Seshan v Union of India (1995) case? People occupying high constitutional offices should glorify the institution, not wash dirty linen in public.

V.M. Vadivelu,

Coimbatore

* * *

While the Election Commission and the nation are bracing for the most important democratic exercise that is barely three months away, the controversy generated by the CEC’s action was the last thing we needed. It is surprising that Mr. Gopalaswami found it right to wait for more than a year since the BJP brought up the matter with him.

Shahabuddin Nadeem,

Bangalore

* * *

Mr. Gopalaswami’s recommendation against Mr. Chawla — at the fag end of his tenure and before the general elections — is in bad taste. It has also exposed the work culture of the bureaucrats steering the Election Commission. For the common man, it is yet another instance of waiting and watching.

Ch. Sreenivasa Prasad,

Visakhapatnam

* * *

Mr. Gopalaswami’s irresponsible act on the eve of parliamentary elections has done much damage to the fair name of the independent institution of the Election Commission. It lends credence to the apprehensions expressed by the Left parties over the five-phase West Bengal election schedule.

C. Suresh,

Thrissur

* * *

It is unfortunate that political parties which fear the Election Commission more than any other governing body are doing politics over it. The President should act in a manner that restores the Commission’s credibility.

Kumar Dharmesh,

Hyderabad

* * *

Mr. Gopalaswami has been acknowledged as an able CEC who has discharged his duties well. Is it fair to describe an honest opinion expressed by him, apparently within the limits of his authority and in the interests of the country, as constitutional overreach? The CEC’s recommendation deserves to be seriously examined.

R. Venugopal,

Chennai

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

Opinion

News Update

Stories in this Section

The road to Copenhagen

Sarkozy versus France

The Jammu & Kashmir elections and after

Chief Election Commissioner cannot act on his own: Ashok Desai opinion

Davos: how to regain people’s trust

Venezuela: boligarchs, the new elite

Facebook user data for research

Corrections and clarifications

Shocking

Sri Lankan offensive

A doyen