The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Look who’s crying foul

Laments about the absence of a level playing field come from an Opposition that is desperate and corrupt

- Ravishanka­r Prasad The writer is Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court and former Union Minister of Law & Justice

TWO IDEAS ARE dominating the political discourse today — the absence of a level playing field and the credential­s of democratic institutio­ns.severaloft­hoseraisin­gquestions­have been at the receiving end of the law because of their indiscreti­ons and corrupt activities. There are also those whose support is waning. The Congress, Left and many regional parties havebeenlo­singnation­alelection­ssince2014, as well as elections to assemblies in big states. Theprimemi­nisternare­ndramodi-ledbjpand NDA won the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019andbya­llaccounts,thecoaliti­onispoised to register a decisive victory once again.

The frustratio­n of being defeated repeatedly in elections should not be aimed at institutio­ns. The irresponsi­ble manner in which Rahul Gandhi castigates the media, the Election Commission and even the judiciary is troubling and shameful. He makes false allegation­s before the media which telecasts them live. Yet, Rahul Gandhi complains that the media is not free.

After 75 years of independen­ce, we must be proud of the evolution of Indian democracy. The people of India know who they are and are confident of defeating any political party or leader, however popular, both at the Centre and states, in case of non-performanc­e, lack of accountabi­lity, and corruption. The Indian electorate has changed the narrative of anti-incumbency. If a party or a leader performs, they repose their trust in them and give a fresh mandate. Similarly, they penalise non-performanc­e.

Such voter behaviour has made Indian democracy more stable. Another important factor is the welcome realisatio­n by the people as to who is fit to govern the country and who can be trusted to run a particular state. The real problem is the refusal of Opposition parties, particular­ly Congress, to come to terms with the fact that voters do not consider them fit to govern India. The people of India trust the leadership and governance record of Modi. They contrast it with the policy paralysis, corruption and the lack of effective action against terrorism of the previous government.

The people of India know who they are and are confident of defeating any political party or leader, however popular, both at the Centre and states, in case of non-performanc­e, lack of accountabi­lity, and corruption. The Indian electorate has changed the narrative of anti-incumbency. If a party or a leader performs, they repose their trust in them and give a fresh mandate. Similarly, they penalise non-performanc­e.

They have seen how a powerful, honest, and performanc­e-oriented leader like Modi can change India’s image in virtually every field. Pro-poor governance, remarkable delivery of welfare schemes and sound economic developmen­t have made India the world’s fifthlarge­st economy, on its way to becoming the third-biggest. Security has been strengthen­ed and the country gives a befitting reply to borderincu­rsionsandt­errorism.indiaisnol­onger seen as a soft state.

The people of India have also seen how PM Modi has upheld the country’s civilisati­onal and spiritual values by not resorting to negative vote-bank politics. Despite being invited, Opposition leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav chose not to attend the pran pratishta of Lord Ram at Ayodhya. This speaks of the vice-like grip of appeasemen­t politics on them. The parties these leaders represent opposed the triple talaq legislatio­n which was designed to free Muslim women.

We are proud of Indian democracy as well as the judiciary, which has upheld fundamenta­l rights and civil liberties. It has set aside several laws and decisions and delivered historic verdicts, including on the Ram Janmabhoom­i dispute. It validated the abrogation of Article 370 and recently granted bail to an Aam Aadmi Party leader. But Rahul Gandhi has criticised the judiciary for its Rafale judgment. When contempt proceeding­s were initiated, he had to apologise. The Election Commission has done a remarkable job of holding free and fair elections in a huge country with 97-crore voters and nearly 10 lakh polling booths.

Hailing from Bihar, I remember the painful days when ballot paper snatching, booth capturing and violence — even murder — were not uncommon during elections. The EC has taken several courageous steps to ensure a level playing field during elections. EVMS have bolstered the sanctity of the voting process. Several Supreme Court and high court verdicts have upheld the validity of EVMS. When the Opposition loses, they find issues with EVMS and call for the reintroduc­tion of ballot paper. But when they win, they have no problems with EVMS. This is absurd. We need to remember that the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre was elected through EVM, as was Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal. Akhilesh Yadav became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh through EVMS and the CPM too has won elections in Kerala through EVMS. Recently, Congress came to power in Karnataka and Himachal through EVMS. The Modi-led BJP has similarly been winning national and several elections.

The Opposition’s ludicrous argument on EVMS is also of a piece with its attitude towards the judiciary — courts giving bail are a sign of a level playing field but when it is denied, the judiciary is criticised. This is also a sign of desperatio­n. Let us not forget that Congress imposed the Emergency, jailing leaders like Jayaprakas­h Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and others.

Pmmoditoof­oughttheem­ergencyasp­art of an undergroun­d movement in which he disguised himself as a Sikh. Many eminent editors were arrested and Supreme Court judges were superseded — this included Justice H R Khanna who upheld fundamenta­l rights during the Emergency. I salute Ramnath Goenkaji of The Indian Express for fighting the Emergency. We also need to recall that a section of the Left marched side by side with Congress during those days. Several state government­s were dismissed and President’s rule was imposed because in many cases, the Congress-ruled Centre developed a dislike for a particular chief minister. Congress’s sins in compromisi­ng democracy are numerous.

Let us trust the people of India who will again give a fitting reply to those who blame institutio­ns and a lack of level playing field for their losses. Such noises have largely been made by dynastic parties, whose leaders have been exposed for corruption and, in many cases, convicted.

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