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| Cong subverting institutions to win UP Election | | 'It's All Anarchy | |
RUSTAM
JAMMU, Feb 12: It is the fundamental duty of any democratically-elected government to strengthen institutions established under the constitution to create confidence among people. Institutions are permanent and governments come and go. The Indian political is no different, notwithstanding innumerable flaws in it, all the fall-outs of act of omission and commission committed by the ruling elite. But the manner in which the arrogant and obstinate Congress under AICC president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have been conducting themselves with a view to wooing and capture Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh (UP) have left none in any doubt that both the party and the government have armed Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal and Digvijaya Singh to vitiate the election scene in UP and undermine the very institution of Election Commission of India (ECI) -- a constitutional and autonomous institution whose duty it is to conduct free and fair polls and provide a level playing field to all the recognised and eligible political parties.
That the likes of Salman Khurshid have been allowed to vitiate and communalise the election scene in UP and to undermine the very institution of the ECI could be seen from the response the verdict of the Election Commission on the BJP complaint against the Union Law Minister evoked from Khurshid. The BJP had accused Khurshid of violating the model Code of Conduct by announcing last month in an election rally at Farrukhabad that the Congress, if voted to power, would enhance for the Muslims the sub-quota from 4.5 per cent to 9 per cent within the existing 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Classes in government jobs and educational institutions. Taking cognizance of the BJP compliant, the ECI censured and warned Khurshid for his remarks on sub-quota for minorities, especially Muslims, finding them to be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct for elections. "Mr Khurshid had violated the model code of conduct by making a promise of a nine per cent sub-quota for minorities and that it expects him not to repeat such violations," the ECI had said.
The Law Minister, who is constitutionally bound to strengthen the constitutional institutions, instead of admitting his guilt and appreciating the intervention and sane counsel of the ECI, unleashed a tirade against the constitutional institution. Addressing an election rally in Khatakpur (UP) on Friday night, Khurshid said that the "EC had censured him but even if the Commission hangs him or does anything else, he would ensure that people of Pasmanda community (read Muslims) get their rights. If they want to hang me, they can hang me for committing to people for a quota. We will change the fate of the poor (read Muslims), even if we have to against Election Commission, we will change the fate of the poor. I will then come and stand in front of the court of the people and fight my case. I want to stand in the court of the people and ask isn't it the right of the people". Digvijaya Singh supported the stand of Khurshid. Jaiswal, another Union Minister, also gave his unflinching support to Khurshid.
As expected, the BJP again lodged a very strong protest against Khurshid and sought the intervention of the ECI so that he and the Congress, which are obviously working in tandem, were prevented from further vitiating the ongoing election process in crucial UP. The EC not only took a serious note of the BJP complaint but also took cognizance of what Khurshid said against it. Outraged as it was by the Law Minister's tirade against it, the EC wrote a very strong letter to the President of India for his defiant attitude to the Model Code of Conduct.
The very strong letter, among other things, read: "The Commission is shocked that instead of being remorseful about the violation of the Model Code, that carries the consensus of all political parties and the sanction of the Supreme Court, the Minister has chosen to be defiant and aggressive. This is unprecedented…We have found the tone and tenor of the Union Minister dismissive and utterly contemptuous about the Commission's lawful direction to him, besides the fact that his action is damaging the level playing field in the election". Realising the gravity of the situation, the President of India immediately forwarded the EC's letter to the Prime Minister's office for "appropriate action" in the matter.
As for the BJP, it also demanded Khurshid's resignation for defying the poll code. "Under Art 75(2) of the Constitution a Minister can continue in office during the pleasure of the President...We request the President to withdraw her pleasure and dismiss Shri Salman Khurshid as a Minister of the Union Cabinet for acting against the law and the Constitution," Senior party leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, tweeted last night.
Will the Prime Minister or the AICC president take any action against Khurshid who has outraged the entire nation by cmmunalising the ongoing election process in UP, as also by threatening the ECI and undermining its constitutional authority? It is extremely doubtful if they would do so. The Congress wants to win the UP polls by hook or by crook, something not going to happen. The fact of the matter is that the Congress is out to destroy the very social fabric of India and those institutions which have been trying their level best to restore the people's faith in the system. Reports, which today emanated from the Prime Minister's Office clearly suggest that no action will be taken against the Congress's new Muslim face. It's true that Congress media in-charge and AICC general secretary today issued a statement in New Delhi asking the Union Ministers and other Congress leaders campaigning for the Congress party in UP not to make any statement against the EC and strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct, but it is nothing but an attempt at diverting people's attention away from the real issue. That neither the Congress-dominated UPA Government nor the Congress high command has initiated any action against the defiant Khurshid, Jaiswal and Singh is a proof that they are not really committed to reining in the Jinnahs in the party and the government. It's no wonder then that the BJP, the CPI-M, the SP, the JD-U and others have upped their ante and demanded stringent action against the erring Congress ministers and leaders. |
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