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Withdraw 'India Shining' campaign: Lyngdoh
February 18, 2004 00:46 IST
Former Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh on Tuesday expressed disapproval at the money spent by the government on its 'India Shining' campaign.
He hoped that the advertisement campaign would be withdrawn.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on 'Elections and Democracy' he said even if it was not wrong legally at this juncture, it was not proper considering that it involved tax payers' money.
To a question on the use of aircraft by Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani for electioneering, Lyngdoh said, "The prime minister is different from anyone else. That distinction should be maintained."
He said there was lot of scope for electoral reforms in India and added that the Indian democracy was about quantity and not quality.
"The problem in India is that the candidate does not stand a chance in the elections if he does not spend a heavy amount irrespective of the party he belongs to," he said. "In the government service one is taught ethics, but in politics there is no one who can teach ethics."
He said the Election Commission was trying to streamline the electoral role by removing bogus voters.
The Public Interest Litigations have also helped in improving the electoral system, he added.