Any attempt at EC's denigration will amount to denigrating electoral process: Pranab Mukherjee

Former president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday cautioned that any attempt to denigrate the Election Commission, which has served its purpose well, will amount to denigrating the electoral process itself.

As a firm believer in India's institutions, he said, it is his considered opinion that it is the 'workmen' who decide how an institutional tool performs.

"The onus of ensuring institutional integrity in this case lies with the Election Commission of India. They must do so and put any speculation to rest," he said delivering the first Sukumar Sen memorial lecture organised by the poll panel.

Institutions like the CAG, RBI, UPSC, Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog) spearheaded India's socio-economic and political resurgence, he said.

"The Election Commission, like its peers in other fields, has served its purpose accordingly well and any attempt at its denigration will amount to denigrating the electoral process itself," he said.

Mukherjee said there can be no room for speculation that challenges the very basis of our democracy. "People's mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt," he said.

In his address, the veteran leader also flagged that the "model code puts brakes" on day-to-day administration.

He said holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was a possible solution but it requires consensus and constitutional amendments.

Another alternative, he suggested, was to amend the model code to ensure that development works do not stop due to the Lok Sabha or assembly polls.

The model code was derived after EC and political parties held long consultations on ways to make polls a level playing field for all stakeholders.