NEW DELHI: The Congress announced its decision 10 boycott the election in Punjab Its position is that while it is not afraid of facing elections in Punjab and it WAS NOL an issue of winning or losing it would not participate in the poll process in Punjab unless it was completely delinked from the impending mid-term poll.
Pranab Mukherjee told a crowded Press conference in the AICC office this evening that the government and not the Election Commission had the authority to identify the poll schedule in Punjab and recast it so that it was held only after the new Lok Sabha was constituted by June 6.
The decision to boycott the Punjab poll was taken by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which met under the president ship of Mr Rajiv Gandhi. While holding to the view that in the final analysis there was no alternative to restoring the democratic process in Punjab the CWC said it had been consistently of the view that appropriate conditions have to be created before a genuinely elected government could assume charge of the state
Pointing out that its decision to participate in the Assam election demonstrated that the Congress was more than willing to face threats and risks to their candidates as part of the political process it said it was “not willing to participate in a process in which the only beneficiaries can be militants.
Recalling that only a few weeks ago almost all the major political parties including the ruling Janata Dal (S) voted in Parliament to extend President’s rule in Punjab the CWC resolution said that nothing had improved and on the contrary the situation had worsened.
Militants had stepped up their killings intimidation and violence. The number of killings in the two weeks from April 8 to 22 was 182 and there was no sign of any abatement. During that fortnight kidnappings totaled 23.
The law and order situation was not under control and it was beyond the powers of the administration to assure a free and fair election. It was not in a position to protect the lives of the candidates and political workers or the rights of the citizens to exercise their franchise free from the coercion and threats from the militants.
“The election schedule also exposes candidates and political workers to unacceptable risk to their lives over a prolonged period. Separating the date of polling is not delinking” the CWC resolution stated. Delinking could come about only if the poll process in Punjab was started after the national election process was completed.
Mr Mukherjee said that his party’s stand was that adequate security arrangements could be made in Punjab only after the security personnel were free from duties in the other states “Even if the present government were to totally delink the Punjab poll from the national elections we would not boycott it” he said.
“Before taking a unilateral decision on the Punjab polls the government could have consulted various political parties” he said.
The working committee also heard the views of the party leaders from Punjab before taking a decision adds UNI.
The Punjab PCC vice-president Mr Umrao Singh said though we are prepared for the elections certain anti-national and militant forces should not be permitted to contest the election unless they assure the government that they would not indulge in militant actions during the election and contest within the constitutional provisions
Article extracted from this publication >> May 3, 1991
