What's up, EC?

Is the Election Commission (EC) getting biased? Consider the following points.

1. Remember all the controversy over veiling of elephant statues in UP? One could probably say the EC was getting over zealous in this regard. This was with respect to the BSP.

2. Salman Khurshid took on the EC, issued a regret remark (I don't think he even apologized) and he got off

3. Beni Prasad Verma did the same, the EC has issued a showcause notice. Even before this Verma said this was a slip of tongue.

4. Robert Vadra is making not-so-subtle if not blatantly in-your-face remarks which indicate he is itching to get into politics. His "coming out" occasion was a motorcycle rally he held in UP. An IAS officer stopped the rally as the number of motorcycles was above the permitted number (maybe we see over zealousness again). This officer was transferred out and his transfer was only stopped after a hue and cry was raised.

So do we see the EC going soft on the Congress? Is it not enough that we already have a government and party in power which seem intent on suppressing free speech in this country? Do they seriously need more ammunition? Apparently some remarks critical of the government, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are being quietly removed by service providers like Twitter. Verma has to reply by tomorrow to the EC's notice. For once I wish the EC would show some spine and actually take some action. As all leaders should be aware, ignorance of the law is not an excuse for violation of law. It is probably time to remember the days of Seshan who put the fear of God into our "representatives".

Further the President's son was caught with one crore in cash during the course of the recently concluded civic polls in Mumbai. His excuse - the money was to be distributed among poor candidates - seems as ridiculous and poor as the one given by a BJP minister in Karnataka when he was caught watching porn in the state assembly. He was issued a notice by the EC. What is the status of this case?

Moving on, there was a piece of news that got me thinking. The centre will file a review petition against the Supreme Court's recent order in the Vodafone tax case. This will apparently be heard by the same bench which delivered the verdict. Remember the Army Chief vs the govt showdown that happened recently? The Supreme Court had initially pulled up the govt over "vitiated procedure" as the Attorney General was involved at two different hearings of the General's plea. Now do different rules apply to the executive and judicial wings? Would the Vodafone verdict encourage more companies to opt for tax havens to conclude deals for assets based in India? I wonder...

I want to be a peon!

In my school usage of the word "peon" was discouraged as this was believed to be a colonial term. We were instead asked to say "attender". Whatever may be the correct term when one thinks of a peon one does not exactly think of a person rolling in riches. However this article about peons in Madhya Pradesh seems to say otherwise. How is this possible? This, or for that matter most corruption in our country is probably because of our red tape. Also, corruption today seems to have become almost routine everywhere. Consider the following examples which I myself have faced or have heard about. These are true whether we are talking about the government, public sector or any private sector organization, whatever might be the image these organizations/companies publicly profess.

1. In a government office a certain document had to be given to a bureaucrat. The peon who worked in the office told me that he expected something for him reminding me that he was the person who had to actually hand it over physically to the babu. 

2. Ask any person from the collections department of a company if it is possible to collect dues without greasing some palms. The logic seems to be,  "I am releasing so much money for you, why should I not benefit?" The person does not seem to realize that it is not his money that is being released but that of the company he is working for.

The simplest solution for all of this seems to be to take things online and keep them open to the extent possible. Nothing is so simple, I confess, but a start has to be made somewhere. The citizens' charter proposed by Anna's team seems especially important in the context of all the red tape.

Moving on, it has been said that the verdict of the Supreme Court that Vodafone will not have to pay tax on its purchase of Hutchison's stake will encourage foreign investment in India. Whatever might be the logic behind this, in today's world where we are talking about cracking down on tax havens, I believe this is a retrograde step. When the deal involves India why can't the Indian government tax the transaction? At the same time, however, I do not like the government's argument that it has to earn money via such transactions. I am sure the government can explore more constructive ways and also reduce the colossal spend on inefficient schemes and facilities.