Thinking Allowed: Election silence

Many of us were sort of young (perhaps in spirit?) when these elections began. Sort of young and sort of shockable. Now, having been through eight of the nine phases of these seemingly endless elections, we are older and wiser. And we don’t recoil in horror anymore when we see shameless, unbridled attacks on not just rival candidates but on the very foundations of our democracy.

The latest attack is by the BJP, and its much-hyped prime ministerial candidate, on the Election Commission. Because the EC respected security concerns raised by the police, the district magistrate and local polling officials and did not allow Mr Modi to hold a rally at Varanasi’s Beniabagh Park, which is in a Muslim neighbourhood. In an earlier election, a BJP rally here had seen saffron goons accosting local Muslims at their own doorsteps which led to bloodshed and deaths. The EC did offer an alternative venue to the BJP, but that was swiftly rejected.

Instead BJP leaders like Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah and Ananth Kumar staged a dharna, leading a mob of saffron supporters who shouted slogans against the EC and demanded the removal of Pranjal Yadav, the returning officer and DM. Elsewhere Mr Modi was at his dramatic and offensive best.

“I say this with full responsibility…” thundered Mr Modi, “the EC is acting in a partisan manner and has failed to do its job!” He nagged on: “I am accusing the EC of being partisan!” And reminded his audience of his previous “warnings” to this remarkable constitutional body in charge of the biggest elections in the world: “I warned the EC on April 24 that it was not fulfilling its responsibility!” Apparently the cheering crowd rose to the occasion, diligently shouting “Chunav Aayog Murdabad! (Death to the Election Commission!)”

If the Election Commission is dead, can democracy be far behind?
Unlike the Supreme Court, the EC does not have the authority to clap you in jail for contempt. But like the Supreme Court it is supposed to be the final authority in election matters and is expected to command unconditional respect. Only those who have absolutely no interest in democracy would attack the EC. It is unfortunate that the man who wants to be Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy falls in that category.

When the EC is forced to hold a press conference to clear its name following shrill accusations of bias and dharnas by a political party you have reason to worry. Undermining institutions that cradle your democracy is not a good idea.

But this is not the first time that Mr Modi has attacked the EC. He had “warned” it in April. He had also attacked the EC last week, accused it of failing to control violence and rigging in Bengal (“I am bringing serious allegations against you…”), implied that it was partisan (“Why are you not acting? What is your intention?”) and dared the EC to slap another case against him. Mr Modi had an FIR lodged against him for violating the model code of conduct in Ahmedabad on April 30. He had addressed a news conference immediately after casting his vote, where he had flaunted the BJP’s election symbol. Public meetings, campaigns and display of any election related matter, are prohibited for 48 hours before the end of the election day.

This is a fine rule, this ban on political campaigning immediately before and during voting day. It is called “election silence”. It allows the voter to shake off the din and think, reflect and cast her vote in peace. Sadly, though, we don’t have this election silence.

Campaigns stop on the streets, but wealthy candidates crowd your home. Mr Modi stares at you from the front pages of most big newspapers every day on the run up to the elections and even on voting day. Sometimes you may see Rahul Gandhi too. But full page ads mostly belong to Mr Modi. Front page. Back page. Inside pages. Apparently he has a RS 5,000 crore advertising budget. Ad spend for Mr Gandhi is only a fraction of that. And then you have the hoardings and the outdoor ads. Again, mostly Mr Modi. There is no respite from our incredibly rich wannabe PM.

Wonder where all that money comes from? If the BJP is spending so much just to get to power, wonder what they will do to recover all that money if they do come to power.

Anyway, let’s return to the EC. So the well-heeled candidates accost us early in the morning in our bedrooms and living rooms through print ads even on voting day. They travel to the voting booth with us jumping from billboard to billboard on street corners. They tweet and flash selfies and keep you entertained on social media. How’s that for quiet time to think before you vote? The only ones who are kept out of your mindspace during this “election silence” are those who do not have the money to buy your eyeballs via newspapers and hoardings. It is certainly not a level playing field.

This inequality fits in nicely with the gradual weakening of our once mature democracy. We have been increasingly undermining our democratic foundations. Corruption and lust for power has corroded the very institutions that guarantee our democratic freedoms and rights. From a frequently paralysed Parliament to an excruciatingly slow justice system, from criminally irresponsible political parties to a corrupt administration, from an apathetic civil society to a media that prefers to be a lapdog rather than a watchdog, we have steadily chipped away at the foundations of our democracy.

Which paves the way for authoritarianism. It helps today’s despots win in “free and fair” elections. Despots who neutralise criticism and diversity by dominating the very institutions that make the pluralism of ideas and a level playing field possible. Today’s despot wins elections by capturing the corporates, the media, the educational institutes, the judiciary and civil society. It is essential for them to suppress critical voices. Even if the criticism is from the EC. The sooner we recognise this, the better our chances of saving our democracy. A little quiet time to think may not be a bad idea. Even after the elections.