Politic: Voter Manipulation in the West Bengal Election and the National Crisis of Electoral Integrity |
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Politics isn’t a farce. Those who thought the West Bengal assembly election was about Mamata Banerjee’s chair should shut up. Who becomes the chief minister of a state is of little consequence. The concern is about electoral integrity; about citizens’ rights, morality and justice. What’s really at stake is democracy, not power.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gloating over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory. That can be done by lesser mortals. That political apprentice who has been appointed the BJP president, Nitin Nabin, could have merrily done that job – gloat over victories, or cry over defeats. The prime minister needs to engage with the nation on critical concerns. Who will answer questions on the fate of democracy in India?
Who will clear the misgivings in people’s minds when the opposition parties are screaming about looted elections, subversion of due process by the Election Commission and denial of justice by the Supreme Court?
Obviously, the prime minister must. But Modi, after celebrating the BJP victory in Bengal, started giving sermons on the historical importance of the Somnath temple in Gujarat. Are 12 years not enough for Modi to understand what a prime minister is supposed to do?
Modi’s abdication of responsibilities has acquired scandalous dimensions. If he has the courage of his convictions, he will engage with the Opposition parties on questions that have far-reaching consequences for India’s democracy. He should tell the nation that the Opposition is unnecessarily maligning the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, that paragon of virtue who has done exemplary work in Bihar and Bengal.
Also read: What’s There to Comment on Election Results?
He should tell the nation that the around one crore people whose names were struck off the voters’ list in West Bengal were not Indian citizens and deserved disenfranchisement. He should hail the Supreme Court judge for that casual remark to the 27 lakh citizens stuck in “logical discrepancies” that they can vote next time. Or lament the miscarriage of justice. The least the prime minister can do is pretend to behave like the prime minister.
This also applies to those masquerading as political........