Amid oppn attack on EC, Dhankhar lauds poll body

New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday lauded the Election Commission for holding polls that have earned global accolades, saying there will always be an urge to criticise to get the best of it.

He also said the independence of the poll panel is never a casualty as the "bureaucracy is so trained" and the election machinery is "so greased and fuelled".

His remarks came against the backdrop of the opposition parties' attacks on the EC and their allegations of discrepancies in electoral rolls, fudging of voter turnout data and tampering of electronic voting machines.

Addressing a book launch event here, Dhankhar said, "We have an Election Commission that has worked. And it has worked in a fashion that global recognition is coming to it. Many countries in the world want their elections to be overseen by our Election Commission." There will always be, the vice president said, an urge to criticise to get the best of it. "But we all are assured because our bureaucracy is so trained. Our election machinery is so greased and fuelled. Independence is never a casualty," he said.

Dhankhar, who is also the Rajya Sabha chairperson, said a functional Parliament is quintessential to the survival of democracy because it allows the power of expression and reflects the will of the people.

"A power of expression where no one can question. What you say in Parliament, you are immunised from any other concern, you can't be taken to civil court, you can't feel culpability in it. When you have that supreme authority, that no matter what you say in Parliament, no citizen of this country can take recourse to law if they are hurt," he said explaining parliamentary privileges.

He said it puts a heavy obligation on Parliament itself. The privileges come with "heavy responsibility," he stressed.

He said the executive is held accountable only through a parliamentary mechanism which is based on dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation.

The vice president opined that Parliament is the "most possible" platform for the representation of the people.

"Eligibility to vote has an age factor and those below that age are not entitled to reflect themselves. Therefore it is not very idealistic, but it is very close to idealism. So Parliament reflects the will of the people," he said.

One of Parliament's powers is to hold the executive accountable.

He said Parliament is not a place for a free fall of information or to settle scores with people or institutions that cannot have their say in Parliament.

Later, addressing students of Harvard Business School here, Dhankhar said India stands out as an example to the entire world for swift, seamless transfer of power after elections.

"In this country, there is no murmur. If the election verdict is out, there are no questions raised, because it is transparent, it is accountable," he said.

The vice president cited the West Bengal assembly polls of 2011 where TMC trounced the Left and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when Narendra Modi became the prime minister to explain the smooth transition.

"... so, what you get from outside is not what India is. Misinformation, disinformation about India. It is generated in a strategised manner to subserve some interests by forces that are inimical, I would say, not to India but to the democratic process," he told the gathering.