SUNDAY
SENTIMENT
Time to learn from Pakistan and Bangladesh
Neutral administration during election
time
On January 7 the Union Minister of State for Youth
Affairs Jitendra Singh declared that the UPA government will soon come out with
a new Youth Policy 2014 to replace the present Youth Policy 2003. “The priority areas",
approved by the Union cabinet chaired by Dr. Manmohan Singh "are education, skill
development and employment, entrepreneurship, health and healthy lifestyle,
sports, promotion of social values, community engagement, participation in
politics and governance, youth engagement, inclusion and social justice.”
Both the houses of Parliament are likely to be convened in
mid-February primarily for a vote-on-account because there will be no regular
budget as per the practice. This is done because a regular budget can only be
populist and the ruling party could play ducks and drakes with public exchequer
for sectarian electoral gains. But, as per reports, the Manmohan government has
in its kitty a number of Bills it proposes to introduce and try to push
through, like the Communal Violence Bill, etc. Ironically, Congress wishes to
sleep over the Women's Reservation Bill which stands approved by the Rajya
Sabha for which Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi gleefully accepted
credit. Why Mrs. Gandhi does not wish to repeat that in Lok Sabha remains unexplained.
There is no explanation why did the Congress not think of
changing the 2003 Youth Policy for more than nine years. Why did the Congress
wait for the last year of its second term to get the Food Security Bill passed?
Obviously, it hoped to reap electoral gains that the National Employment
Guarantee Act gave it in the last parliamentary elections.
Such intentions make it clear that our rulers firmly believe that
people, nay the electorate, have a very short memory. That is why they wish to
strike only when the iron of elections is hot. It is only a few months before
the polling schedule that they wake up from their slumber generated by luxuriating
at the fruits of power to spring into action to motivate the voter at the right
moment when he is ready to go to the polling booth. In Rajasthan, the Congress
chief minister Ashok Gehlot opened the cash boxes of the State exchequer on the
eve of elections to shower numerous freebies to win the assembly election. But
that seems to have boomeranged. Congress suffered the worst electoral defeat.
In a democracy elections should be fought by various
political parties and individuals from an equal platform. None should be at the
advantageous position and the political party in power should not have the key
of public money to influence the voter. The elections need not only be free and
fair but also appear to be so.
India, no doubt, is a great and strong democracy. We have
been able to sustain the parliamentary system of government for more than 66
years while democracy crumbled in those parts which before August 1947 were
very much a part of this great country. It is a matter of great satisfaction
that both Pakistan and Bangladesh are today democracies. Whatever the strength
and weakness of the democracies in these two countries, they have one great
tradition. Pakistan's constitution provides that six months before the due date
of elections the duly elected party government makes way for a neutral regime
which oversees the conduct of a free and fair election. In Bangladesh too, the
recent elections were held under a non-party impartial administration. It is
besides the point that fingers are being raised at its being free and fair.
Our parliamentary democracy hinges on the Westminster style
of parliamentary government. Our constitution has borrowed many of the good
features and provisions in other constitutions. We have followed many
traditions and good precedents in other countries. Is it not a time that we
adopt this good example of a political government making way for a non-political
administration aligned with none to ensure free and fair elections to ensure
that these genuinely reflect the will of the people.
If we cannot do that, our Election Commission (EC) could, at
least, step in to enforce the Model Code of Conduct for Political Parties six
months before the date on which the new Parliament or the State assembly has to
be constituted. Any violation of the Code should be a cognizable criminal
offence attracting deterrent punishment. Otherwise, things will not improve.
Political parties and government leaders will continue to take the EC for a
ride. EC will continue to issue notices whenever the Code is violated;
defaulters will give their explanations and ultimately, the matter will end
with, at the most, a censure of the 'guilty' and the matter would end there.
Violation of the Model Code and the 'punishment' given by the EC is at the
moment being taken as a loving rebuke by a mother to its recalcitrant children.
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