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Cash in Tamil Nadu Elections
PUCL-Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the Forum for Electoral Integrity strongly deplore the reported statement of DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, in an election rally in Erode on 31 March 2011, as describing the curbs imposed on electioneering by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the declaration of a “mini-Emergency”. He is also reported to have raised the question as to whether there was “rule of law” in the state.
PUCL-Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the Forum for Electoral Integrity strongly deplore the reported statement of DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, in an election rally in Erode on 31 March 2011, as describing the curbs imposed on electioneering by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the declaration of a “mini-Emergency”. He is also reported to have raised the question as to whether there was “rule of law” in the state.
Comparing the actions of the ECI with the Emergency is ridiculous. The Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi (1975-77) was a murder of democracy and an attempt to transform a democratic state into an oppressive, dictatorial one. In contrast, the current actions of the ECI are aimed precisely at restoring meaning and dignity to democracy by enforcing the “rule of law” and fair play by impartially implementing the law to neutralise money power, goondaism, and intimidation of voters.
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