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Election Commissioner H S Brahma courted controversy on Friday, after he said that Mumbai, India’s financial capital, was also its capital of paid news.
He could not substantiate the statement with facts and figures and within a few minutes, after strong objections were raised, apologised for the comment. Brahma said he had not intended to hurt anyone.
Brahma was sitting alongside chief election commissioner (CEC) V S Sampath and another election commissioner Nazim Zaidi, when he made the statement. The trio were speaking to reporters after deliberations with political parties and officials from the Maharashtra government, police, excise and income tax departments during their two-day visit here.
Brahma explained that during their meeting, at least three political parties complained they were not given due publicity in comparison to national parties and their leaders in print and electronic media. They also raised their concerns against paid news.
“I therefore wanted to make an appeal on their behalf, to give them coverage during the ongoing campaigning and cooperate with the Election Commission in its efforts for transparent, free and fair polls,” he noted.
Brahma recalled that in October 2011, the Election Commission had disqualified Umlesh Yadav, the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal MLA from Bisauli in Uttar Pradesh, from contesting any election for three years. That was because Yadav did not include in her poll expenditure, the money spent on advertisements which were masqueraded as news items in some Hindi dailies.
Further, Brahma said the Election Commission had received a complaint against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan in connection with paid news.
When Sampath was asked whether Brahma's opinion was the view of the entire Election Commission, he said, “The Election Commission does not truly believe that Mumbai is notorious for paid news. Brahma has already apologised for the statement which he made. His attempt was to highlight the impact of paid news in the scheme of things of free and fair elections.”
Sampath clarified that the paid news case involving Ashok Chavan was with the Supreme Court for further orders.
He also downplayed the views expressed by outgoing union minister Jairam Ramesh that the Election Commission could not be a parallel government. “The Election Commission has been mandated by the Constitution of India to ensure a level playing field and free and fair elections. It will continue to function according to its mandate,” Sampath opined.
Sampath was responding to Ramesh's criticism that the commission was holding up new gas prices that were to be implemented from April 1.
On the reply submitted by Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar for his “vote twice” comment, Sampath informed that the matter was under its examination.
