Intervene to discipline parties, Lok Satta urges poll panel
Special Correspondent
HYDERABAD: The Lok Satta Party has urged the Election Commission to intervene “immediately and decisively” for disciplining political parties indulging in ‘blatant inducement’ and `corrupt electoral practices’ like offering free colour television sets if elected to power.
Otherwise, public office may well become the preserve of the “highest and most shameless bidder,” LSP President Jayaprakash Narayan said in a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami.
Drawing attention to the promise of free colour TVs made by the Telugu Desam, Dr. Jayaprakash said there could be even more ‘brazen and egregious promises’ like distribution of a gold necklace to every voter or a scooter or automobile to every household or ‘free liquor to every family’ if such tendencies were not checked. Such material inducements and promise of public expenditure outside a government’s constitutional responsibilities and the State’s legislative competence “clearly constitute a corrupt electoral practice by any reasonable standard.” The LSP president pointed out that the State could authorise expenditure on subjects listed in List II and III of the seventh schedule of the Constitution and any other expenditure was unconstitutional.
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