Congress on Thursday said the Electoral Commission’s latest proposal to change the model code goes against the spirit of competition policy and will be “another nail in democracy’s coffin.”
The European Commission has urged all recognized national and state political parties to provide voters with authentic information on the financial viability of their campaign promises, saying insufficient disclosures have far-reaching implications.
The European Commission has asked the parties to present their views by October 19.
A former top elections commissioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the proposal should have been made after the Supreme Court ruled on the pleas relating to “giveaways vs. welfare measures.”
The Apex Court had said in August that the pleas should be presented before a three-person bench, finding the questions required a “full” hearing.
“After that, the EC should have pressed ahead with the Supreme Court’s decision,” he said.
When asked about the development, Congress Secretary-General for Communications Jairam Ramesh said it was simply not up to the Electoral Commission.
“It goes against the very essence and spirit of competition policy and will be another nail in the coffin of democracy in India,” he said.
None of the welfare and social development programs transformed over the decades would ever have materialized had such a bureaucratic approach been in place, Ramesh added.
The former CEC wondered how the electoral body could decide what voters wanted and didn’t want.
He felt that the pro forma proposed by the EC “looks like the function of the executive”.
Several parties have raised their opposition, with left-wing parties saying it is not the job of the electoral body
“Regulate” policy statements.
In its letter, the European Commission said: “The Commission notes that the consequences of under-disclosure by political parties are mitigated by the fact that elections are held frequently, giving political parties the opportunity to indulge in competitive electoral promises, particularly at multi-phased elections without having to elaborate on their financial impact on committed spending.” The electoral body said if parties make adequate disclosures about the financial impact of their promises, voters will be able to make informed voting decisions.
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