Haryana in the drop zone

Apprehensions of Election Commission strictures have become so pervasive that it created no small confusion in the Government of India. The controversy was over a clarificatory press release to the effect that the government was not contemplating a ban on exports of Basmati rice. The release also explained the context of the clarification: that prices of Basmati had fallen in some mandis in Haryana owing to rumours that the government would ban exports. But the mere mention of Haryana, where Assembly elections are due soon, spooked bureaucrats so much that a decision was finally taken to drop the press statement altogether.