Quraishi reacts to report, says it is an attempt to curb ECI's powers
A day ahead of a meeting of the Group of Ministers on corruption, the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions issued a carefully worded denial of a news report suggesting that the government wanted to give the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) statutory backing so that complaints relating to its violations could be tried in a court of law, rather than being left to the discretion of the Election Commission.
“The GoM,” the press note said, “has not made any recommendation to make the Model Code of Conduct statutory or to take it outside the purview of the Commission.”
Official sources, while clarifying that the suggestion on giving the MCC statutory backing had been on the table long before the battle between Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi over reservations for religious minorities had hit the headlines, stressed no such decision had as yet been taken.
However, Ministry sources told The Hindu that given how often elections are held, there was “concern in many quarters that the MCC often ended up stalling development work.”
Mr. Khurshid told journalists that taking the MCC out of the ECI's control, as far as he knew, was not on the GOM's agenda for Wednesday, but when all-party consultations are held after the elections, it could be considered if other parties wished to do so. The collective view of various parties, he said, would help the government pass the measures “conveniently” in Parliament. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clarified it was totally opposed to the idea.
Meanwhile, a combative Mr. Quraishi, responding to the news report, described it as an attempt to curb the ECI's powers and said that if the courts begin to adjudicate on MCC violations, the matter would go on for years, allowing the culprits to continue enjoying the fruits of power.
See the ways the estabklishment is trying to rip the EC of its vital
pwoers. In the guise of staturoty clothing, it is planning a dilution
fo EC powers. It is little publicised fact that the same government
for the last sixty three years has been silent in making such
statutory provisons for its parliament memebrs. It is still having the
unwirtten conventions of the British hosues of Parliament. It fears
that once these rights and privileges are codified, the actiohn ro
inaction of Mps will be questioned in the courts. But the same govt.
is tyrign another medicine for quietneing the EC. It is godo that the
media exposed this machination.
Politicians would naturally want their own code of cobduct to prevail. Hope better sense will prevail and they will not tinker with the existing model code.
Law minister is defying the law. if any lay man has done like this he will get severe punishment. Now kurshid and Beni prasad are under the scanner for defying the law.They are trying to curb the powers of EC.So try to become at least a minister then you can come out of any punishment or you can make law that is fit for you.
Our constitution is a rather decent one. Why is it that any infarction
that annoys the power brokers needs to be corrected, in their wisdom,
by convoluting the provisions laid in thereof? Dilution of the
authority of a constitutional appointee only speaks of intolerance by
the affected - no matter what the express reasons touted. A month of
MCC before the fateful day would make scarce difference to
developmental work that otherwise had been languishing prior to the
code coming into force.
It was also amusing to see two stalwarts of the community go at each
other so publicly, with the other players in a Catch 22 situation -
damned if they do, damned if they don't. Elections or otherwise, we
tend to remain streetfighters, seldom rising to the statesmanship that
is expected of high office.
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