Hand of control

Both anecdotal and academic readings of contemporary Indian politics will testify to this: the Election Commission is the institution that elicits increasing trust among voters and citizens, much more than the political parties. It may seem somewhat poignant that in a democracy as lively as India8217;s, an unelected body is perceived to be the most credible. But the EC8217;s vaulting popularity is hard won. It is the outcome of a gritty transformation of a sleepy body to a scrupulous and successful minder of elections in the world8217;s largest democracy. So when the Congress toys with the imposition of Article 356 in Uttar Pradesh and then declares the conduct of free and fair elections in that state as a reason, it does more than just insult political intelligence and offend constitutional propriety. It also does a huge disservice to the EC and its sterling record of conducting peaceful and fair elections.

But of course, the Congress party is only looking for ways to justify an old-style fraud that many had thought would visit us less and less. After all, the one-party dominance of the Congress splintered over a decade and half ago and its supremacy has been challenged by several regional parties. In the coalition age, replays of the earlier arrogance of the Congress Centre vis-a-vis unfriendly or inconvenient state governments seemed mercifully old hat. Then there was the 1994 Bommai judgment to contend with, which laid down restrictive parameters for the exercise of Article 356 and emphasised that it could be challenged in higher forums. But, clearly, everyone had underestimated the party8217;s ability to remain in a time warp. Though it ostensibly revised its no-coalitions-please 1998 Pachmarhi hauteur in its Shimla sankalp of 2003, where it harped on the coming together of all 8216;secular forces8217;, it continues to alienate smaller allies in the UPA. In successive misadventures in Jharkhand and Bihar, it has tried to wrest a role for itself far in disproportion to its shrunken electoral clout. In government, its ministers still act like unaccountable overlords of the departments they run. In recent times, I038;B minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi8217;s bid to play Biggest Brother is not incidental 8212; it speaks of his party8217;s unreformed culture.

The Congress must know that with only 145 MPs in this Lok Sabha, it cannot afford to overstep and overreach. It could even cultivate some humility. Remember Rajiv Gandhi8217;s steep decline from 401 in 1984 to 197 just five years later. The perils of arrogance are real.