Stop targeting opposition leaders and focus on procedural issues

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Vidya Bhushan Rawat

It is good that the 22 party delegation that met the Election Commission yesterday pointed out categorically how the procedure should be followed in the counting of votes tomorrow.

We support the demand of the parties to count the five randomly selected VVPAT slips first and tally it with the numbers of the machines. If there is any discrepancy found or mismatch, the Commission should order for a complete counting of VVPAT slips in that Assembly segment. Thjs will restore the faith of the people. We know this might delayed the results a bit and make the life of the dalals in the channels a bit difficult but then to protect and strengthen our democracy, it is better to do these things and ignore the massive media mafia gangs campaign against the opposition.

In any democracy, the voices of the opposition are listened too and their concerns are addressed. I dont think any of these demands are as such where BJP and its allies should have a problem and they should clarify it but the way our electronic media and a majority of print media are shifting stand and campaigning against the opposition is shameless to say the least. These are the tough times and it is here your quality to fight would be seen and those who play according to the power will be exposed.

This is not the time to wish ‘death’ to a political party or that. There are people who are media mafia and get lots of visibility for their ‘secular’ views when they want death wish to Congress, BSP or SP. I have always maintained that we need parties and more and more. India is a continent and it cant be handed over to one or two parties. The only thing, I would say, to more democratise these parties but then that we all are concerned about. But those who are speaking about these parties and terming them as ‘nikamma’ are actually frauds. Isnt it time to first speak about the election process and how the BJP has misused every platform. Isnt it time to ask question to EC for its favor to Narendra Modi and Amit Shah ? isnt it time for serious questioning about Electoral Bonds? Isnt it time for serious restrain on media and their opinion polls ?

Isn’t it ironical that the man who sits in Ambanis’s fish market of Exit and opinion polls also want to capture our space in the name of social movements. Use your privileges and visibility from media to capture the social space but you failed there and now crying. Where is your own political party which was formed. Arent those who were part of Kejriwal and Hazare group in the beginning responsible for the situation that we are in today.

Why should a few thugs in the media decide and debate who should be the president of a political party ? I am saying this because today what we are witnessing is not media but propaganda machinery of the Bhartiya Janta Party. They can discuss BJP and its greatness. They can make an Amit Shah one of the greatest leaders on earth after Narendra Modi.

What is wrong if we want that EVMs should be kept safely ? What is wrong if people are asking why the unused EVMs are being taken without being informed to the respective candidates of the area ? What is wrong in asking to the Election Commission to response quickly so that the rumours not fly thick.

The problem is that the thugs want us to discuss their Exit Polls. They want President Kovind to invite Narendra Modi immediately to form the government. They dont want any delay after they declared massive victory to Narendra Modi. They want to unseat Rahul Gandhi from the presdient of Congress Party based on their verdict. They want elimination of entire opposition by calling all of them nikamma as if there is only one ‘intellectual’ here who can carry India through his ‘activism’. Political leaders have issues and problems and we know them well . India is a diverse country and differences are bound to happen. It is these differences which some time the money bags use for their benefits in the multiparty democracy.

Infact, time has come for a robust system. We need to switch over to Proportional Electoral System. The campaign for it has now become more than relevant. Ensure participation of all segments in the democratic setup and fix accountability, stop the massive use of money and media. There has to be a level playing field and above all, we will ask all the political parties and government to come to an agreement of banning all kind of exit polls or opinion polls. They are a fraud played on the nation. They are an attempt to build narrative and change public opinion. Media has become mafia and now the biggest threat to democracy today. It is time to fix accountability of media and institutions. Democracy need diversity and not hegemony of a few being imposed by the mercenaries in media.

Vidya Bhushan Rawat