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Journalism of Courage
A presiding officer here has been taken to task for the 50 ballot papers found missing from his polling booth after the February 16 election. The officer at the booth in Silpa Sanskriti Bhawan, where votes were polled for the Agartala Assembly constituency, reportedly could not account for the missing papers or give satisfactory reasons for their loss. An FIR has now been lodged against him while the case is being "investigated".
The AIADMK does need to put in extra effort. But, according to the Election Department, it has strived so hard that it is now number one in the list of parties who have violated the Tamil Nadu Open Places Prevention of Disfigurement Act. Its toll of violations runs up to 280. Not only that, the AIADMK-led front too ranks first among alliances who have violated the Act. Of the total 1,124 cases registered under it in the entire State till February 18, the AIADMK and allies’ share was 561. Fortunately for Jayalalitha, arch rival DMK fares nobetter. In fact, it comes in second, having notched up 220 cases on its own and 367 in association with allies.
A group of artists and intellectuals, including Magsaysay award winner Mahasweta Devi, actor Soumitra Chattopadhyay and danseuse Mamata Shanker, has appealed to the electorate to think before they vote. They say they do not see much difference in election manifestos of parties and point out that things are worsening in the country. While half the population was struggling against hunger, poverty and illiteracy, road to prosperity was being paved for a handful.
While politicians mourn the lack of interest towards voting in the country, over one lakh Indians in the country’s 130 enclaves along the Indo-Bangladesh border have had no ballot since 1947. They neither have their names on the voters’ list nor does the Centre or West Bengal have any control over the areas in Coochbehar and Jalpaiguri districts. There is no official communicationwith the enclaves and the Government has no idea of how its own people there live. Says an enclave resident: "We are not even allowed by hoodlums to hoist our national flag." Then, he adds: "But hoodlums are everywhere. The saddest part is that the Government of India and the people of the mainland do not spare a thought for us."
As far as the AIADMK is concerned, Hindi is not so bad after all. The party that once called the people who laid down their lives during the anti-Hindi stir in the ’60s "martyrs" has now brought out a pamphlet in the language. Printed by the Erode Jayalalitha Peravai, it urges people to "please cast valuable votes on the Two Leaves Symbol for the AIADMK candidate" K. Palanichamy, who is standing from Tiruchengode. However, there is a simple enough explanation for the AIADMK’s "love" for Hindi: it’s new-found love for the BJP.
