Tavleen Singh writes: Democracy at work or disaster

In times of trouble, a government should respond with humility, not arrogance. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have missed this lesson. Upon publication of an investigation into the Election Commission (ECI) last week, Modi's response was to deploy his most articulate spokesmen to counter the report aggressively on TV and social media.

Instead of acknowledging the serious disagreements among the three election commissioners as a sign of a 'vibrant democracy,' they repeatedly defended their actions, displaying smug expressions and fake smiles.

This response was puzzling and farcical. Rather than focusing on the issues, the spokespersons blamed the Congress Party and recounted instances of past control by the government. While it is true that election commissioners have been controlled by the government in the past, these examples do not justify the current actions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The SIR, which has already been met with doubts, was initiated to review election-related decisions.

The investigation revealed that half of Delhi voters had been mistakenly deleted from the voter list, while those who appealed against their deletion had their voting rights restored. However, this came after the election had concluded. There have been ongoing concerns about the integrity of the election process, and the SIR only adds to these worries. Rahul Gandhi has taken a strong stance against alleged voter fraud, particularly in Bihar, where he attempted to make 'vote chori' a central theme of his campaign.

The investigation uncovered that Gyanesh Kumar, one of the election commissioners, objected to poll panel steps on record fourteen times in ten months. If Kumar were in such a position, he would resign gracefully and declare his innocence. However, the damage to the Modi government's credibility needs to be addressed. Instead of rallying its supporters to focus on baseless accusations, the government should introspect and address the erosion of trust in the election process.

Modi has been appearing increasingly out of touch with the political mood. The handling of student protests at Jantar Mantar and the President's birthday celebrations have further tarnished his image. The latest mishap involves the government's defense of Gyanesh Kumar, which inadvertently supports the opposition's claims that the Election Commission has been politicized.

To regain credibility, Modi needs to lead a special intensive review of his team and consider removing Kumar, who has become a significant liability for the government.