The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh has set a sort of record in the country, with the arrest of a minister (under directions of the Election Commission) for threatening, insulting and intimidating a returning officer. He is to be prosecuted under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
If a minister has the effrontery to browbeat a returning officer in an attempt to coerce her into rejecting the nomination papers of the Congress candidate, only those in the higher echelons of bureaucracy are to blame. The State IAS officers, the chief secretary downwards, have been behaving more like the retainers of the ruling party than as the officers accountable to the Constitution and the law. They did not feel ashamed while trooping to a contractor's house to get orders and were often seen being given directions by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan's wife Sadhna Singh at public functions. (The photographs showing Sadhna Singh directing the senior IAS officers stopped appearing in the newspapers only after Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Jamuna Devi had raked up the "dumper scam" involving Chauhan and Sadhna Singh). As the scrutiny of the nomination papers was being held for this month's Assembly elections, Minister of State (independent charge) for tourism, sports and youth welfare Tukojirao Puar, accompanied by former BJP MP Phoolchand Verma, created a ruckus in the office of Dewas Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sanjana Jain, who is the returning officer for the Sonkutch (SC) constituency. Phoolchand Verma is the BJP candidate from Sonkutch while the Congress has fielded Sajjan Singh Verma who is a sitting MLA from the same constituency. Puar's constituency is Dewas. Puar and Phoolchand Verma wanted Sanjana Jain to reject Sajjan Singh Verma's nomination papers because, they claimed, he did not submit Form-B (letter of authorisation from the party) within the stipulated time but only after that. The only evidence they had in support of their claim was that the returning officer had put a dash against the name of Sajjan Singh Verma. As the lady officer tried to explain the things (including the presence of the dash against Sajjan Singh Verma's name), Tukojirao Puar lost his temper and he and Phoolchand Verma started threatening her and shouting that she had taken a lakh of rupees for adjusting Sajjan Singh Verma's Form-B, submitted belatedly. The rowdy behaviour of the BJP leaders lasted for quite some time. If a candidate or his agent has some grievance against an order or action of the returning officer, he has the option to complain to the Chief Electoral Officer or directly to the Election Commission. But the arbitrary manner in which the ministers in Madhya Pradesh have been functioning all these years seems to have made them arrogant. Puar has become particularly notorious for his bad temper, probably inherited from his feudal ancestry. His midnight tantrums in the State government-run hotels have become legendary (he holds the tourism portfolio). After receiving a report, accompanied by a CD of the proceedings in her office, from Sanjana Jain, the Election Commission pondered over the matter and directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh to see that a criminal case was registered under Sections 186, 353 and 506 of IPC against Puar. As the sections make it a cognisable offence, he was subsequently arrested by the police. At the same time, the Election Commission ordered immediate removal of Dewas Collector Navneet Mohan Kothari, who is the District Returning Officer for not sending the SDM Sanjana Jain's report to the Commission promptly. The Election Commission has been striving hard in the past couple of decades to ensure free and fair elections in the country and meeting with more and more success gradually. However, the discipline it enforces on the bureaucracy evaporates the moment the period of model code of conduct is over; the officers then are treated whether they have been loyal to the party which comes to power. The party treats the officers arbitrarily and the Election Commission cannot stop it. If the BJP returns to power, Sanjana Jain is bound to find herself in a difficult situation because the government has many ways to harass an officer. And if the Congress gains power, she may even get more than what she really deserves. This has been happening in Madhya Pradesh. Shivraj Singh Chauhan was not MLA when he became the chief minister. He contested from Budhni (in Sehore district) where by-election was held following the resignation of a BJP member of the Assembly. S.K.Mishra was the Collector of Sehore and the Returning Officer for the Budhni by-election. He was seen kowtowing to chief minister Chauhan (also the BJP candidate) during his campaign. The Election Commission ordered his immediate removal. As soon as the period of the code of conduct was over, Chauhan made S.K.Mishra the Collector of Bhopal which was a big jump for him. A little later, Mishra was made secretary to the chief minister and became one of the most powerful bureaucrats. The State was reeling under acute power shortage at the time of the Budhni by-election and the electricity was available in the rural areas for only an hour or so in 24 hours. The entire Budhni constituency was getting electricity round the clock during the Budhni by-election campaign. This was made possible by R.K.Sahni, chairman of the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board, who was simultaneously appointed by Chauhan as the chief secretary of the State by superseding over half a dozen IAS officers. The Election Commission took a serious note of the partisan attitude to the residents of the Budhni constituency in the matter of power supply and got it stopped, with remarks against Sahni. So what? Sahni continues to be the chief secretary and the chairman and is happy because the chief minister is always pleased with him. The chief minister is pleased because he may probably not find a more pliable chief secretary. At the receiving end of this sinful combination are the people. The registration of a criminal case against Tukojirao Puar begs another question. Will the corrupt police force of Madhya Pradesh prosecute Puar if the BJP returns to power? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/thatha_patty?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
