Letter to BS: In today's polarised politics, EC will always be in demand

This refers to the editorial "See no evil…" (13 May). To my mind, this editorial has been a little too harsh on the Election Commission (EC). EC is entrusted with the constitutional responsibility of holding free and fair elections in the country, which is a monumental exercise considering the size and diversity of our nation. Amid competitive politics and conflicting political narrative, it is no surprise that the EC finds itself bombarded with a barrage of complaints of alleged violation of the model code of conduct (MCC), quite a few of them being motivated and just made for scoring political brownie points. Clearly, the EC is not mandated to oblige the political parties or to promote their political drama. Yet, it has gone through the complaints and imposed campaign ban on leaders across political parties to discourage and dissuade abusive and provocative speeches. But given the reality of today’s polarised politics, the EC will always be found wanting by someone or the other.

As far as Balakot and Pakistan are concerned, they must form a part of political narrative and election campaign as they mark a discernible shift in our security policy and measures to combat cross-border terror. What is required, though, is not to lose perspective while putting forth one’s views on these matters. Being related to national security, certain gravity should be maintained while mentioning these issues in election campaigns and any frivolous comments must be avoided by all concerned.

Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Jabalpur
 

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