Electoral reforms need of the hour: Pratibha

April 15, 2012

Prathiba
New Delhi, April 15: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil considers preserving the secular, democratic, fabric of India among the difficult tasks facing the country today, the others being the challenges of achieving inclusive growth and curbing social problems such as corruption.

Ms. Patil, whose term ends in July, on Thursday shared with The Hindu her experiences as President and her views on what is required for nation-building.

She said it was imperative to usher in electoral reforms to maintain the country's secular and democratic characteristics. Education, women's empowerment and focus on moral values should be at the core of the reforms.

The interview ended before this reporter had a chance to ask the President about some of the specific challenges she has had to face during her tenure, such as handling of mercy petitions from prisoners on death row.

“Electoral reforms are needed. We have been conducting our elections very well, but we need to keep the elements of money and muscle out. We have to bring in reforms to remove the impurities that have crept into the system,” she said.

To maintain the secular fabric of the world's largest democracy, she said, different stakeholders needed to work with a deep sense of responsibility to see that our democracy remained “clean and healthy.”

“A good signal”

A former Governor of Rajasthan and seasoned politician, Ms. Patil said elected representation of women, especially at the grassroots, and their subsequent ascent to the top had “sent a good signal.”

Ms. Patil, who became the first woman President of the country in 2007, said she was hoping for consensus on the long-pending women's reservation Bill.

“Women's reservation Bill is already in Parliament…but it will be a happy moment if some consensus emerges. I won't say what, but some good formula should be arrived at. Let Parliament do its job, but I do hope they come up with something that is acceptable to all political parties.”

Looking back, she said her years at Rashtrapati Bhavan were “an experience.” “I have met so many people from a cross-section of society, school children who have shown bravery, women who have stood up against social problems like female foeticide, dowry and addiction. It has been an experience. There is a vast pool of talent in this country, there are people who are brave and have the guts to take a stand to face circumstances, there are people with great energy and we need to draw on this energy and talent for nation-building.”

Elaborating on the experiences drawn from her meetings and travels both inside and outside the country, Ms. Patil said: “I have seen people do social service without any self-interest. There are people who collect medicines for those who cannot afford them or used toys for the needy — these are the kind of activities that the youth should be encouraged to take up. There is a gap that needs to be filled and it can be done by people with a vision and a sense of social service.”

“My message to the youth is to strike a balance between consumerism and values. They have a lot of energy, they are better equipped than the previous generations, have better education, and they must bring about social change. Problems of dowry, addiction, female foeticide will not go away through laws and punishment, we need to change attitudes for eradicating these,” Ms. Patil said.

A lawyer, politician and sports enthusiast, Ms. Patil said that though women's participation in government, the judiciary and other public spheres had improved over the years, there was still need to build confidence and encourage involvement.

“I have seen a new confidence in the eyes of the women in rural areas, in the gram panchayats where women want to do something. The question is who is to empower them. There are schemes for women that need proper implementation, there should be education and information available to them,” she said.

Straightening the country's secular tenets and reverting to the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, she said, should be part of nation-building.

“I feel very happy that we have carried forward our biggest, vibrant democracy, though there might have been difficulties, but it has been a smooth process. We have to keep intact our communal harmony and that would be our major achievement,” Ms. Patil said.

‘Values being ignored'

Access to quality education, health care and elimination of poverty, she pointed out, should be the goals that the policymakers and the future generations should focus on.

“We have enough schemes but we need to ensure that they reach the last person for whom they are intended. The youngsters need to focus on education and their vocations but they should also pay attention to social values imparted by our traditions, culture and the values preached by Mahatma Gandhi. There is growing consumerism in this country; we need the younger generation to understand human values. We have values of family, looking after ailing, ageing parents; there are traditions like Raksha Bandhan, where the brother promises to protect the interests of the sister; somewhere we feel these values are being ignored and getting diluted. That is another challenge we must face.”

Ms. Patil, who likes to walk around the Mughal Gardens on Rashtrapati Bhavan precincts in her free time and snatches moments to try her hand at her favourite sport, table tennis, wants to continue working for issues related to women and their empowerment after demitting office.

“During my walks around the Mughal Gardens I felt the need to do something to keep it [the estate] clean. That is when we thought of ‘Roshini' [a programme that is intended to make the estate a zero-waste zone] and self-help programmes for the women residents. There is so much to do, things need to be changed or kept properly…” she said, declining to comment on what have been the challenging moments, for her as President.

“There are many memories and memorable experiences, like preparing for a Sukhoi ride,” she said laughing, “but the challenges, I will talk about later.”

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News Network
April 24,2024

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Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit out at the Congress, saying the 'vote bank hungry' party wanted to implement reservation on the basis of religion.

Addressing a poll rally in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district in Chhattisgarh, PM Modi also said the Congress wanted to impose inheritance tax in the country and snatch the rights of people's children.

Some forces want a "weak" government of the Congress and "I.N.D.I." alliance in the country as they thought that if India becomes 'atmanirbhar' (self-reliant), their shops will be shut, he said.

"Today when I have come to Surguja, I want to present the Muslim League thinking of the Congress in front of the country. When their manifesto was released, on the same day I had said, and saying today also that the Congress manifesto has the imprint of Muslim League," Modi said.

When the Constitution was being drafted, it was decided under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar that there would be no reservation on the basis of religion in India, he said.

"If there will be reservation then it will be for by Dalit brothers and sisters and tribal brothers and sisters," he said.

"But the vote bank hungry Congress never cared about the words of the great personalities, sanctity of the Constitution and the words of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Years ago, the Congress made an attempt to implement reservation on the basis of religion in Andhra Pradesh. Then Congress has planned to implement it in the entire country," Modi said.

They talked about implementing 15 per cent reservation on the basis of religion and said it will be done after curtailing the quota of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, he added.

In its 2009 manifesto, Congress's intention was the same and in the 2014 manifesto, it clearly said it will not leave this issue, the prime minister said.

The Congress wanted to change the Constitution and hand over rights of the SCs, STs and OBCs to its vote bank, he said.

The intention of the Congress is not good, it is not according to the Constitution, social justice and secularism. If anyone can protect your reservation, it is the BJP, Modi said.

"The Congress's eyes are not only on your reservation, but also on your earnings, your houses, shops and farms. The 'shehzada' of Congress (apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi) says they will conduct an X-ray of the property of every house and every family in the country. The Congress will snatch all these from you and they say that they will equally distribute them," he said.

Do you know to whom they will distribute it after 'looting' it from you? Modi asked, to which the people replied in affirmative.

"I need not to tell you to whom they will distribute," he added.

Modi further said the 'dangerous intentions' of Congress are coming to forth one by one and now it says it will impose inheritance tax.

"The advisor of shehzada of the shahi parivar, who was also the advisor to the shehzada's father, had said that more tax should be imposed on the middle class and those who earn by toiling hard. Now the Congress says it will impose inheritance tax. It will impose tax on the assets inherited by people from their parents. Now, the panja (Congress poll symbol) will snatch the assets from your children," he said without taking any name.

The Congress' mantra is 'loot of Congress zindagi ke sath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi', he said.

"They (Congress) want to snatch your assets and rights of your children," Modi added.

The PM also said he had come to seek people's blessings for a developed Chhattisgarh and a developed India.

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News Network
April 25,2024

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Kolkata: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh or Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari could have been the prime minister, said Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, subtly taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders relegated to the second rung of the organisational echelons.

Banerjee’s nephew and the TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on the other hand, attempted to stoke trouble within the BJP’s unit in West Bengal, saying that at least 10 more state legislators of the saffron party were keen to join his party and in touch with him.

"You (Rajnath Singh) are surviving at the mercy of Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi). You are saluting Modi daily to save your chair. You or Nitin Gadkari could have been the PM (prime minister) today," the TMC supremo said in an election rally at Ausgram in Bolpur Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday. "There would have been no problem...at least there would have been a gentleman in the chair who knows minimum courtesy," she added.

Banerjee was responding to Singh’s diatribe against herself and the TMC government led by her. The defence minister, who had addressed an election rally in Murshidabad on Sunday, had criticised the TMC government for alleged corruption and anarchy in West Bengal.

Singh had referred to the attacks on the Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5 during a raid at the residence of the TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of the state. It was followed by an agitation by local women protesting against atrocities by Shahjahan and his aides known to be owing allegiance to the TMC.

Singh questioned how the state government, led by a woman as the chief minister, could allow such atrocities on women to take place. He went on to say that Banerjee had lost all ‘mamata’ (affection and compassion) for people.

Banerjee shared a cordial relationship with Singh since the days when they both were ministers in the central government led by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Singh avoided personally criticising Banerjee in the past.

He, however, went ballistic against Banerjee on Sunday, triggering a strong response from the TMC supremo on Wednesday.

"The BJP is trying to get into the game of breaking parties, but they can't win in it. They poached two of our MPs, and we replied by taking two of their MPs, Arjun Singh and Babul Supriyo. Recently, by using ED raids, they inducted Tapas Ray. At least 10 top leaders of the BJP are in the queue to join the TMC," Abhishek said in another election rally in Murshidabad on Wednesday.

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News Network
April 26,2024

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The Supreme Court of India on Friday, April 26, rejected pleas seeking 100% cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and said “blindly distrusting” any aspect of the system can breed unwarranted scepticism.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta delivered two concurring verdicts. It dismissed all the pleas in the matter, including those seeking to go back to ballot papers in elections.

An EVM comprises three units – the ballot unit, the control unit and the VVPAT. All three are embedded with microcontrollers with a burnt memory from the manufacturer. Currently, VVPATs are used in five booths per assembly constituency.

EVM VVPAT case: Supreme Court issues two directives

1.    Justice Khanna directed the Election Commission of India to seal and store units used to load symbols for 45 days after the symbols have been loaded to electronic voting machines in strong rooms.

2.    The Supreme Court also allowed engineers of the EVM manufacturers to verify the microcontroller of the machines after the declaration of the results at the request of candidates who stood second and third. The top court said the request for the verification of the microcontroller can be made within seven days of the declaration of the results after payment of fees.

Option for candidates to seek verification of EVM programmes

•    Candidates who secure second and third position in the results can request for the verification of burnt memory semicontroller in 5% of the EVMs per assembly segment in a Parliamentary constituency. The written request to be made within seven days of the declaration of the results.

•    *On receiving such a written request, the EVMs shall be checked and verified by a team of engineers from the manufacturer of the EVMs.

•    Candidates should identify the EVMs to be checked by a serial number of the polling booth.

•    Candidates and their representatives can be present at the time of the verification.

•    After verification, the district electoral officer should notify the authenticity of the burnt memory.

•    Expenses for the verification process, as notified by the ECI, should be borne by the candidate making the request.
What did the Supreme Court say?

•    "If EVM is found tampered during verification, fees paid by the candidates will be refunded," the bench said.

•    "While maintaining a balanced perspective is crucial in evaluating systems or institutions, blindly distrusting any aspect of the system can breed unwarranted scepticism...," Justice Datta said.

Who filed the petitions?

NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, one of the petitioners, had sought to reverse the poll panel's 2017 decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque glass through which a voter can see the slip only when the light is on for seven seconds.

The petitioners have also sought the court's direction to revert to the old system of ballot papers.

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