NEW DELHI: The government Monday said that it was not in favor of postponement of poll by more than a week after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and repudiated the statement of chief election commissioner T N Seshan that the revised poll dates of June 12 and 15 were dictated to him.
As a controversy erupted on the issue with the Congress-I seeking to know the truth an official spokesperson clarified Monday evening that the government near favored deferring of the polls beyond a week
Seshan however did not turn up at his daily briefing nor was he available for comments on the government denial of his observation at a T. V. discussion Sunday night that the poll dates were dictated by a decision of the government
The spokesperson told newsmen that the election commissioner was an independent authority under the constitution and the question of dictating anything to him does not arise
Although Prime Minister Shekhar and the law minister Subramanian Swamy were present at a meeting at the presidential palace she said nobody forced the decision on Seshan
The Congress party spokesman Pranab Mukherjee said at his briefing that both the election commissioner and the government have been caught in an awkward situation and the issue was developing into an unseemly controversy eroding the institutional arrangement to protect democracy.
The ruling Samajwadi Janata Party general secretary Om Prakaash Chautala declined to comment on Seshan’s statement saying this was a matter between the CEC and the government and my party does not figure in the controversy.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 14, 1991
