ANDHRA PRADESH

 Opposition Parties Complain to EC

                                                                                             M Venugopala Rao

OPPOSITION parties in Andhra Pradesh complained to the Election Commission about misuse of official machinery, public exchequer and electronic media and expressed apprehension that the ruling parties might misuse security personnel, if provided indiscriminately all in the name of security threat, to frighten voters and resort to rigging in the forthcoming elections.  They also accused the ruling Telugu Desam Party and its government of violating code of conduct by publishing a booklet without giving particulars of its  printer and implementing schemes like distribution of gas stoves and cycles.  The ruling party was obviously put in an irksome position, with the Election Commission promptly responding to the complaints of the Opposition parties and issuing appropriate directions to the authorities concerned.

The opposition parties made these complaints at an all-party meeting organised by the chief election officer (CEO) of the state, M Narayana Rao, on March 9, and later again when representatives of different political parties met the Chief Election Commissioner, T S Krishna Murthy, and Commissioners, B B Tandon and N Gopalaswamy on March 11.

At the all-party meeting convened by the CEO, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), Koratala Satyanarayana, and state secretariat member, Y Venkateswara Rao, pointed out that the ruling TDP was using TV channels for its campaign purpose for hours together and asked the Election Commission to stop its misuse by strictly implementing the Cable TV Act of 1995.  While agreeing with the need for providing security to anyone who was under threat from the extremists, Koratala expressed concern that such security arrangements, if provided indiscriminately, were likely to be misused for frightening voters especially by those who had money power and muscle power.  Referring to the reduction of the number of polling stations due to introduction of electronic voting machines, Koratala requested the Election Commission to continue the polling stations at the colonies of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.  He asked the EC to take serious note of  publication of a booklet in Telugu titled 100 Maasala Pragati (Progress in 100 months), published by the TDP without indicating the name of the printer. 

Assistant secretary of the state council of the CPI, Dr K  Narayana, complained that the TDP government had already started rehearsals to misuse security forces and that the Police were already harassing workers of his party at several places on the false pretext of their alleged connections with the Naxalites.  Congress leader Dr K Kesava Rao complained that the TDP government was hatching a conspiracy to frighten the voters by creating letters in the name of Naxalites and that  police harassment of workers of the opposition parties in the Telangana area had already started.  He requested the EC  to ban election campaign in the electronic media.  However, TDP leader C Ramachandraiah requested the EC to allow political parties to conduct their election campaign in the electronic media.  He said three months back the TDP published a booklet on the government’s achievements during its 100 months’ rule, and by mistake the printer’s name was not mentioned.

State secretariat members of the CPI(M) Dr Y Radha Krishna Murthy (former MP) and  Y Venkateswara Rao submitted a memorandum to  the Chief Election Commissioner and Election  Commissioners, requesting them to advise the authorities concerned to be cautious and judicious in granting security protection in view of the likelihood that it would be used to display their pomp and even to intimidate their opponents, the CPI(M) leaders complained. They also requested the EC to see that polling booths were not placed far away from the colonies of the poorer sections in general  and tribal and dalit habitations in particular. The CPI(M) leaders pointed out that against the desired spirit of  level playing field sought to be ensured by the EC by rightly banning TV ads by the political parties during the period of election process, live telecast of  the programmes of the ruling parties was taking place for unreasonably long periods and that elections speeches given there were also being shown fully.  They requested the EC to find ways and means to control this kind of misuse of the media.

Radha Krishna Murthy and Venkateswara Rao brought to the notice of the EC that it was unfair on the part of the local election authorities in Adilabad to issue show cause notices to several activists of the CPI(M) for questioning the authorities when they were trying to evict the poor from government lands occupied some time back.  They also brought to the notice of the EC that the TDP leaders were bringing pressure on the local election authorities and submitting bulk applications again for enrolment of bogus voters in the Kurnool assembly segment whose names were already deleted from the electoral rolls, after confirming that they were bogus (See People’s Democracy, January 11, 2004).

The Congress leaders,  K Rosaiah and K Kesava Rao, and the CPI leaders, Dr K Narayana and T Lakshminarayana represented to the EC on such and other issues concerning the coming elections. The TDP leaders, K Yerrannaidu and M A Shareef, requested the EC not to stop the implementation of welfare and other developmental programmes intended for the poor. They explained that there was threat to the leaders of the TDP and the BJP and that that was the reason why security, including bullet proof cars, was sought for them and deployment of security forces in adequate strength in problematic areas.  TV channels were telecasting the programmes of the TDP, just as they were doing the same in the case of the programmes of the Congress, the TDP leaders said.

After holding a meeting with higher officers, district collectors and superintendents of police in the state and after receiving representations and complaints from the political parties, the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners announced at a media conference that they had directed the Hyderabad police commissioner to probe into the complaint relating to the controversial booklet and initiate action if it was found prima facie that relevant election law was violated. Displaying a copy of the booklet, Krishna Murthy pointed out that it was not proper to bring out a publication without indicating the printer’s name as required by law. Responding to the complaints made by the opposition parties, he announced that necessary instructions were issued to the chief secretary of the government to discontinue further distribution of cycles, gas connections, etc. The Election Commission also barred the state government from going ahead with any further implementation of regular schemes and projects and from conferring benefits on individuals, but permitted drought relief works and the like intended for general welfare to be implemented by official committees without interference from political leaders.  The EC also asked the Naxalites and other extremist groups to shun violent activities, threats and intimidation and help officials make the election process free and fair.  As a follow up to the decision of the EC, the CEO, Narayana Rao, had sent a letter, along with a copy of the booklet, to the Hyderabad police commissioner, R P Singh, asking him to take necessary action against those found guilty on priority basis.  The controversial booklet was published by the department of information and public relations and is being distributed in the districts to subserve the election campaign of the ruling TDP.