He should not have been appointed to the Election Commission in the first place
Let’s be clear: if the institution of the Election Commission is becoming politicised, and if the controversy over Navin Chawla’s continuance in that office leads to a constitutional crisis, the entire blame lies unambiguously at the door of the Congress Party.
Just how hard would it have been to find a decent, uncontroversial, experienced serving or former bureaucrat to occupy the office that acts as the most respected guardian of India’s electoral politics?
Why choose a person who the Shah Commission declared “unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others”?
So let’s not lose a sense of perspective amid all the sanctimonious sophistry about whether it was “proper” for Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy to have recommended Mr Chawla’s sacking. Appointing Mr Chawla to the Election Commission was an unpardonable act of cynicism by a party that has so totally run the country to the ground.
The only honourable course is the for UPA government to accept Mr Gopalaswamy’s recommendation and proceed to remove Mr Chawla. Or, perhaps, persuade him to ‘resign in order not to drag the office into controversy’.
In the past, even as the Congress tried to capture institutions, and post loyalists to run them, it still elevated persons of some eminence to the rank. This was done to quell criticism, because the party did feel the need to bow to public opinion.
Not so anymore. I believe it was Arun Shourie that pointed out during the Pratibha Patil controversy that the Italian-born’s gameplan is to demonstrate that there’s no institution and no constitutional authority superior to her.
So why does Congress doesn’t feel the necessity to keep up appearances anymore, vis-a-vis public opinion ? The key reason, I believe, is that it has successfully captured the institution that in theory reflects public opinion: the media. The party doesn’t have to fear adverse opinion resulting in public revolt, because it can rely on its media friends to “manage” the situation.
Indira Gandhi tried to achieve that effect by suppressing the media; Sonia “Gandhi” does one better by co-opting it.
Good post Nitin.
You have made a very important point. The main question is not whether the Gopalaswami’s recommendation is proper or not. The main question is how come a man known for his controversial conduct became an election commissioner ? How come he is getting ready to be the next CEC ?
Its only the impartiality, credibility and professionalism of our EC that separates us from ‘democracies’ like Kenya, Pakistan or Nigeria, IMO.
We really, seriously and utterly don’t want to go the failed democracy route.
Chawla must step down or be sacked.
If Sonia and her servants in the Congress party are adamant in making Navin Chawla the CEC, there is nothing much else to be done. Navin Chawla will step and win the election for the congress, and unlike the USA where there was concerted opposition to subterfuge by the Florida governor, it is not going to happen in India.
The Indian Mainstream media has already been bought out by the congress with PAdma Bhushans and Padma Vibhushans, so that they will place their personal interest over the public interest, and they have succeeded in corrupting the “guardians of public interest” like Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose, Barkha Dutt, and N. Ram, who are only too glad to rise up the Indian power and influence chain with just the right amount of backscratching and bootlicking of the heavy hitters in the Congress party.
After all, Sonia’s son-in-law can skip security checks at the airport, so the family must be legally in control of the Indian consitution, or else it is not clear how the Nehru Family is above the law in India. The behaviour of people like the current law minister (who is willing to openly behave in an improper manner) seems to tell us commons that the Nehru Clan can own any instution, make any law, break any law, and no one can question it without the Congress propaganga machinery’s support (the entire mainstream media that has been bought out).
Soli Sorabjee is on record to say that
…Therefore having regard to the paramount objective of Part XV, which is to eliminate political influence, the correct position would be that as a general rule the recommendation of the CEC would be binding upon the government unless there are cogent and convincing reasons for rejecting it.
There is the stink of the 10 janpath cartel all over this sophisticated operation.
Now we have to see what “services” Chawla Bhaisaab can actually render. Every seat matters in a politically diffused environment. So if Chawla can overturn actual results through dubious means in even 15 to 25 seats, he will pull off his “special services” for the cartel. For which he will be amply rewarded post retirement. Like our ever jovial uncle Gill.
Chawla can put his officers on duty in these “doable” seats. He can allow “scientific rigging” perfected by the Bengal commies and he can even screw the electronic machines to give predetermined results.
Meanwhile ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? – ?? ???? ?? ??????.
My faith in Indian democracy just crumbled, after this episode!!
I looked forward to EC as the sole guardian of our democratic values, since all other pillars have been corrupted, including Judiciary. Only EC was remaining, but now has been exposed of having Congress moles inside!
God save this nation š
In the l’afaire Chawla,the loathsome Indian MSM is descending to newer depths even if one were to judge it by its own absymal record of sycophantic services to Gandhee dynasty
We already had seen the ugly spectacle of two erstwhile election commissioners( overbearing Seshan Iyer and that disgraceful M.S Gill ) join the Congress party after their tenure in the election commission.James Michael Lyndogh was also seen participating in internal political affairs of Congress party.Not a word on the shameful conduct of these pliant Kangressi bureaucrats has been uttered by the Padma Shri/Padma Bhushan winning worthies of media during the current contoversy .HIghlighting it would mean that public opinion will see enough substance in BJP’s charges that politically biased EC can later be rewarded for his faithful services
Chawla has been indicted for running torture cells (at the behest of his Congress political masters during emergency) where dissenters were brutally tortured.Ofcourse the Indian left liberal intelligenstia in tandem with the mullahs can be seen organising protest against Guantanamo Bay but not against our own indigenous gestapo masters if they are elevated to constitutional positions
More than anything what is utterly shocking is media playing the Congress game by accusing Gopalswai of political bias.Infact this upright official has made strong recommendation that EC’S should be barred from holding any political post or government jobs after their retirement
That the media was seriously compromised was evident when a dubious ,petty political operator with possibly criminal antecedents was installed as president of this country(remember that pompous Barkha accusing BJP of possibly orchestrating false charges against that financially delinquent lady)
The shameful silence over the real nature of charges against Chawla and seeking to reduce it as BJP campaign clearly demonstartes that media has been clearly purchased
Please read the last line of comment 6 as – Meanwhile aam aadmi ka kya hoga? – aam aadmi aam khayega.
Thanks.
The next time the likes of Barkha Dutt, Sardesai, Sagarika, and the other mercenary scum preach to us commons about “consitutional propriety”, we need to have our chappals in hand to give the right response to these people and the likes of HR Bharadwaj, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi — they spit and do their morning ablutions on the Constitution and then pretend that they are the guardians of that fine document. Can anyone say “Fox guarding the chicken house?”