EC must stop acting in a partisan way, else its credibility will erode

The opinion of the Election Commission of India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not violate the Model Code of Conduct while delivering election speeches on April 1 at Wardha, Maharashtra, and on April 9 at Latur, also in Maharashtra, demonstrates that the commission is guilty of violating the code it is meant to adhere to as a non-partisan institution whose integrity should never be doubted by the people of India. But by being a silent spectator to repeated violations of the Model Code of Conduct by the party’s power duo — Prime Minister Modi and BJP president Amit Shah — the EC has failed the people. In contrast, the commission summoned its full meeting to examine complaints against the Prime Minister only after Congress Mahila Morcha president Sushmita Dev filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking a directive to the EC to hear her party’s petitions against Mr Modi. In contrast to Mr Modi, Mr Gandhi was not fanning prejudice between religious communities as the Prime Minister did with his “minority constituency” accusation.