@Chiranjib – Thanks! Will do it soon

@Nikhil – haha…this is just too ridiculous. Who would have thought all those school time tricks would come in handy in old age as well!

@Vikas – Thanks for the compliment

Sheeeesh!! What are we, 12?? This is so ridiculous! What, they have answers written on chits and stuff them in their underwear too?? WTF..!!

@Poonam – It is a very sad state of affairs indeed. Sometimes it feels like the choice is between the lesser of two (or more) evils. But eventually the government is answerable to the public, and if there is enough public opinion against its actions, it will have to take notice.

@QI – Very true. This is not a Congress-BJP fight, but a bigger issue concerning the democratic process. Unfortunately, all ruling parties are guilty of abusing their power to influence the election commission.
The solution is to really decouple the commission from the government, like the judiciary.
Will that ever actually happen? God knows.

It is amazing how we all have started thinking of this as a Congress-BJP fight and formulating our ideological positions accordingly, when it’s actually a lot more critical than a political spat.

BS Raghavan, the author of one of the articles you have linked to, was a member of the Justice Shah commission that indicted Chawla. He very rightly says:

“Simply because the CEC’s report on Chawla is apt to please the BJP, some commentators have taken umbrage at Gopalaswamy’s recommendation and imputed motives to him…….It is incumbent on mature and dispassionate analysts not to look at the CEC’s report through political or ideological spectacles and import into it hidden purposes and meanings.”

And as you have pointed out, what has also got lost in this hungama is the fact that the CEC wrote two more letters to the President, in which he has asked that CECs and ECs, after retirement, should not be allowed to hold government posts or even join political parties. A very valid point. Look at MS Gill!

This is a critical issue that is going to have significant impact on our democratic system, and we should look at it objectively. Of course, knowing us Indians, I’m not holding my breath. Chances are, we will continue being the fools we are.

Quirky Indian

For example, in Delhi, with BRT trouble (its still not really improved, just people got used to it), making of commonwealth games village on yamuna banks whoch experts say can cause floods, then there ahd been blasts, yet Congress had clean sweep.

As soon as it came onto power, it approved 3 more BRT projects, as court did not stay order for Commonwealth games village, construction is on full speed (and a Cbrainwash COmmitte is reviewing simultaneously whether its ok to have these construction at Yamuna banks), and blast, well they may happen anytime. Thing is, it happens, because we dont have any choice. There is no other righteous party in sight.