EC Takes The Right Decision On Rath Prabharis
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-10-30 06:02:35
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The India Commentary view
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The Election Commission (EC) has done the right thing in banning the Viksit Bharat Sankalpa Yatra in poll bound states. But the EC order came only after the government had climbed down from its earlier position after the controversy. The Centre had not done the right thing by deciding to appoint senior bureaucrats as special officers to disseminate information about the achievements of the government in the last 9 years in all districts of the country. While there is no bar in informing the public about the welfare schemes introduced by the government (if fact, it should be done so that the people are aware of the schemes and can take advantage of the benefits), the fact that the special officers (named rath prabharis) were expected to showcase and celebrate the achievements of the government added a political colour to the move. It was also not the right thing to do as five states are going to polls and the model code of conduct has already kicked in.
The opposition is not wrong in alleging that deputing senior bureaucrats for the job means politicizing the bureaucracy in poll times. But in normal circumstances, this would have been a commendable effort. The government should spare no effort to inform the public about the schemes it has introduced for their benefit. The 'Duare Sarkar' scheme of the Bengal government is a laudable effort in this direction. But undertaking a yatra and appointing senior bureaucrats when states are set to hold elections makes the exercise suspect. It gives the impression that the government is trying to run a parallel election campaign with no cost to the BJP. With the EC ban and the government decision not to allow rath prabahris to enter poll-bound states, this will now not be done. That levels the playing field.
