Cornered poll panel chief hits back at govt with Twitter debut

At a time when the Congress-led UPA government was contemplating a move to clip the wings of Election Commission, the chief election commissioner, SY Quraishi hit back by signing up on social networking site Twitter and releasing documents of electoral reform proposals pending with the union government. Quraishi, who debuted on Twitter on Monday, highlighted the fact that these proposals were pending despite repeated reminders. He posted a link to a five-page document ‘Important Electoral Reforms proposed by the Election Commission’.

The document highlights 13 electoral reform proposals like decriminalisation of politics, political parties reforms, misuse of religion for electoral gains, government sponsored advertisements, none of the above option in EVMs, making paid news an electoral offence, enhancing punishment for electoral gains and others.

Some of the reforms proposed are pending from nearly two decades.

Quraishi and law minister Salman Khurshid have been at loggerheads for some time now and there have been instance in the past few months alone that brought their differences in open. It now seems that using social networking website’s platform, Quraishi cleverly wants to convey his opinion to government.