New Delhi, February 7
Parting shots from Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh, who demitted office today, could stir the conscience of concerned citizens, like his remark of describing politicians as “cancer.”
“To make things worse, you have many retired government servants wanting to become politicians. It is more disastrous,” Mr James Michael Lyngdoh told newspersons before leaving the Capital for Hyderabad by road.
Perhaps, the outgoing CEC was trying to convey that the present trend of bureaucrats aspiring to become politicians would result in open politicisation of the bureaucracy.
When asked about his comment on politicians, Mr Lyngdoh shot back: “We comment about other elements in the electoral process like ballot boxes, electronic voting machines and poll observers. Why can’t you comment on candidates? What is so sacrosanct?”
On the widespread condemnation from political parties for his describing politicians as “cancer”, Mr Lyngdoh said: “I am told quite a number of them liked those comments.”
As an advice, the Ramon Magsaysay award winner said: “Signs are not good at the moment. If you have more educated people as candidates, may be things will improve.”
To a question whether he expected the government to work on the electoral reforms, Mr Lyngdoh, who is of Khasi tribal origin from Meghalaya, said: “There was no legislation to keep criminals out. The commission has already recommended that once a candidate is convicted by a court, he should be disqualified. That was necessary.”
Bidding goodbye to Mr Lyngdoh were CEC-designate T.S. Krishna Murthy and Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon and a large number of journalists. Mr Lyngdoh boarded his Toyota Qualis with his wife and three pet dogs for the more than 1,500 km journey.
Mr Lyngdoh termed the Jammu and Kashmir elections supervised by him as a “high watermark.” Also, the meeting with the families of those affected in the Best Bakery case was really moving, he said.
To a question on his comparison between elections in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, he said the commission did not have any trouble with the administration in Gujarat. But in Chhattisgarh it was different.
“The state administration had no control in Chhattisgarh, while in Gujarat, the state administration was under the control of the government,” he said.
On the question of early elections in Andhra Pradesh, as demanded by the Telegu Desam Party, he said the commission needed some time for preparation of the electoral rolls. Observing that there had to be a movement to put pressure on the political parties to field better candidates, Mr Lyngdoh said the commission had also contributed to this direction.
There was a group in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Bihar cataloguing candidates and this movement was growing in strength, he said.
To a question whether he would join politics like his predecessor, Mr T.N. Seshan, he said: “Not in 10 lives. I would not like to be sitting with
them.”
