NEW DELHI, January 6: Journalists are up-in-arms against the Election Commission's decision to keep them out of Nirvachan Sadan and have petitioned President K R Narayanan to restore their access to the EC's headquarters here.Displaying shades of the Seshan era, the Commission has barred the media from entering the Commission premises except when they are invited for press briefings.In a letter signed by a large number of press persons from the print and electronic media, the journalists have urged the President to intervene in the matter. Being debarred from Nirvachan Sadan has severely handicapped journalists reporting on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, they said. Since the Lok Sabha was dissolved on December 4, the Commission has denied journalists entry into Nirvachan Sadan except for the occasional briefing by the Chief Election Commissioner or his deputy. Even the Press Information Bureau (PIB) accreditation card stamped with security clearance by the Home Ministry does not impress the gun-toting security guards posted at the gates of Nirvachan Sadan. ``If the media is not allowed to enter the premises of the Commission how could one ensure the transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission.Under these circumstances it would be very difficult for the electorate to believe that the 1998 elections will be free and fair,'' the letter argues. The projected rationale as cited by Sadan insiders this time is that the security persons were posted at the EC gates as a temporary measure due to the abruptness with which the polls were announced and the pressure of work. Earlier, during poll '96, former chief election commissioner T N Seshan had tried to bar the media from Nirvachan Sadan.
