The Hindu Business Line : Model poll conduct

IN RECENT days, the Election Commission has either been approached by political parties, or has taken a stand on its own, on specific issues cropping up during the ongoing poll campaign, the allegation in case of a complaint being that the "model code of conduct for the guidance of the political parties and candidates" has been violated.

If one remembers, sometime ago the Election Commission pulled up the Government for running the "Indian Shining" advertisement campaign, which, coming before the elections as it did, could clearly be interpreted as an effort by the authorities to project the achievements of the Government and thereby curry favour with the electorate for continued support for the NDA coalition in power.

Section VII(iv) of the model code says clearly: "Issue of advertisement at the cost of the public exchequer... during the election period for... publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided".

The twist added by the new Chief Election Commissioner was that even though the model code had not yet come into force, the Government would have done well to have abided by the "spirit" of the code and not allowed such a media campaign.

This week, the Government has again been pulled up by the Election Commission for committing an act which, in the eyes of the Commission, was violative of the model code, the specific issue being the holding of a press conference by senior officials of the Union Finance Ministry, where the Government's good performance in tax collection was projected.

In the Commission's eyes, the subject matter of the press conference gave an "unfair advantage to the ruling NDA" by virtue of which it can be deemed to have violated the model code.

The reported defence of Finance Ministry officials was: "We are not showcasing Government achievements but only giving facts". This may be so, but the fact remains that Section VII of the model code says explicitly that "The Party in power... shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that it has used its official position for the purposes of its election campaign" — a section that can easily be cited as having been observed in the breach by the press conference in question where exceptionally good revenue collection figures were touted before the media.

The Government's position is weakened by the fact that there was scope for the same press conference being held at a date after the elections, which would have got the model-code issue out of the way.

Incidentally, the same clause of the model code can be cited against the Government's inaction on the petroleum prices front, which has led to a violation of its own guidelines regarding the price-setting mechanism for domestic petroleum prices, the only saving grace being that the act of omission was committed for the most part (since January, that is) before the model code came into effect.

One other aspect of campaigning that has come under public gaze is the handling by political parties and individual politicians of the issue of religion.

Section 1(3) of the model code says, among other things, that: "There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes".

The BJP is on firm ground vis-à-vis its complaint made to the Election Commission regarding the Samajwadi Party's advertisement in Urdu papers which solicits votes proclaiming that Mulayam Singh Yadav tried to save "Allah's ghar" (referring to the Babri Masjid).

Come to think of it, should not the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also be hauled up for violating the code vis-à-vis his Kishanganj (Bihar) reassurance given to a predominantly Muslim electorate that the Gujarat communal riots should not be allowed to happen anywhere else?

Is it not an appeal for votes based on a reassurance given to a communal minority?