The Election Commission on Wednesday took exception to charges of discrimination leveled by UP chief minister Mayawati and rejected her allegations of it being anti-Dalit.
The Election Commission on Wednesday took exception to charges of discrimination leveled by UP chief minister Mayawati and rejected her allegations of it being anti-Dalit, while ordering covering of statues of the BSP leader and the party’s poll symbol ‘elephant’ in public parks.
The Commission asked her to think before making any offensive remark against the constitutional body. Dismissing allegations that it was not so pro-active against other political leaders, the EC, in a press release, said it has asked the UP administration bring to its notice statues of other political parties erected at government cost to allow it to take an appropriate action.
While snubbing Mayawati and her general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra for making remarks against the poll panel, chief election commissioner SY Quraishi said it was his duty to create a level-playing field. The EC also released documents and exchange of letters that led to the decision to cover statues.
The EC also pulled up state chief secretary Anoop Mishra for pleading the case against the cover-up. The EC warned him that a serious note will be taken “in case of recurrence of this kind”.
“The letter has given an impression that you have acted like functionary of a party rather than government officer,” says the letter shot back by the EC through its principal secretary RK Srivastava.
Quraishi said: “We also ask to remove photographs of chief ministers, the prime minister and ruling party leaders in government offices... Should we not cover the symbol of a political party or of its leader just because it is big in size and spectacular?”
The Commission also refused to reconsider its January 8 order for covering the statues in public places at the cost of the public exchequer. In a separate 4-page letter to BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra, the EC asserted that it is in conformity with the consistent practice to remove, from the public places, all photographs, pictures, etc. of active political leaders at the exchequer’s cost to ensure others are not disadvantaged in the elections.
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