Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's acerbic remarks on the Election Commission of India (ECI) is tasteless and deplorable. Kejriwal found something fishy in the functioning of the electronic voting machines for Punjab polls and accused the ECI of deliberately doing so to please the powers that be. He even called the ECI “shameless” and alleged that those in the commission are the handpicked men of the Prime Minister. This is a damaging insinuation heaped on an institution that is widely respected for its method, impartiality and commitment. The Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners are Government appointees. And the Government has a role to play in the selection of top constitutional functionaries.
According to Kejriwal, all these important men and women should have been subservient to the Government. Fortunately, they are not. The ECI has rightly refused to be drawn into the controversy. But the Commission may have to draw a line sometime when things go out of hand.