Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Two standards

Sir, — The Election Commission is to be congratulated for its secular assessment of the situation in Gujarat as being where the "wounds of communal divide have not yet healed...the slow progress in relief and rehabilitation work, on the one hand, and the non-arrest and non-punishment of the guilty and the fear of a communal backlash, on the other, hampered the process of restoration of normality...The people have lost confidence in the local police, civil administration and political executive...In this environment, election campaigns evoking passions will only shatter the fragile peace unless adequate confidence-building measures are taken up in earnestness and with urgency...(Aug. 17)".

In another State, where elections are to be held, there are far more refugees rotting in camps where the commission's observations apply with even greater force. Why has the EC set one standard for Gujarat and another for Jammu and Kashmir?

Krishen Kak,
New Delhi

Sir, — The Election Commission's ruling is bold and reflects the majority opinion of right-thinking people. The "six months" stipulation for an Assembly session has been blatantly misused and a mischief played on the people. Had the EC succumbed to pressure, it would have set a bad precedent.

The EC's position as an independent Constitutional institution was a correct and wise decision made by the founding fathers of our Constitution. Any attempt to undo this through legal (or illegal battles) will only create more hurdles in the process of free and fair elections, not only in Gujarat but elsewhere. Kudos to the EC.

V. Sundaresan,

Hyderabad

Sir, — The EC never bothered to make a ``reality check" of the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir before announcing the election schedule. Why should Gujarat be singled out? As far as the EC is concerned, the situation is the same whether it is caused by a communal flare-up, terrorism or insurgency. The CEC himself had said that ``Kashmir is not absolutely normal'' and that "a little bit of personal courage" was required to cast votes. If elections in Gujarat can be held only if all the riot victims return home, the same rule must be applied to Kashmir also. Elections should not be held till every Kashmiri Pandit returns home.

M.S. Sundararaman,
Tiruchi, T.N.

Sir, — Over the years, the EC has successfully conducted free and fair polls in Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, etc. Elections were held in Delhi, merely weeks after the anti-Sikh riots, which claimed 3,000 lives. Why should a different yardstick be applied in the case of Gujarat? When lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits can vote from their camps without being rehabilitated, what prevents the riot-victims in Gujarat from doing so?

M. Nilesh Kamath,
Mangalore, Karnataka

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