In calling upon the Election Commission (EC) to take every possible measure to ensure a free and fair general election -- one which will be a "good model" for the world -- President K.R. Narayanan has spoken for every Indian. His concern about criminals entering Parliament and hope that parties will field candidates who are men and women of probity and excellence are also unexceptionable. In this context, the EC's endeavour to strictly enforce the Representation of the People Act and ban convicted criminals from contesting elections needs to be welcomed. Even so, it must be recognised that cleansing India's over-tainted polity is not a task for M.S. Gill, the chief election commissioner (CEC), and his team alone. The nexus of crime and politics is not reflected merely in formal electoral battles. For instance, the criminalisation of politics can be directly linked to the politicisation of criminal investigation. It is an open secret that many MPs and MLAs in the country have a long criminal record but escape prison terms due to some lacunae in the law, an inept police or manipulation of evidence. All this cannot but impair Gill's efforts.

The battle is thus a larger one. To truly combat the criminals who rule them, Indians will have to address issues such as autonomy for bodies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the quality of the lower judiciary. To expect the EC to do everything will not just be unfair, it will be unreal. India needs a vigilant EC, not a vigilante EC. This is not to suggest that the commission should give up even before the battle has begun. During his term as CEC, despite his occasional overzealousness, T.N. Seshan made it apparent that existing norms are enough to confront much electoral malpractice. India's election commissioners are sentinels of the Constitution. When they wield the big stick politicians, otherwise used to having their way, cower. If the present incumbents at the EC follow this principle, they are assured of significant success -- and a nation's gratitude.

Punjab's Prodigal Son
India benefits if former Khalistanis like Didar Bains want to forget their past.

When Didar Singh Bains finally walked out of New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport this past week, after being detained for two hours by immigration authorities, it was not just an individual who left behind him an unpleasant incident. In a sense, India too moved further away from its nightmare of the '80s: Punjab's separatism. Bains, among the most affluent NRIs in the United States, had founded the World Sikh Organisation in 1984, in the terrible aftermath of Operation Bluestar. He campaigned for Khalistan and acquired a reputation as a bitter critic of the Indian government. Not surprisingly, his name was put on a blacklist of those not allowed entry into this country. Punjab has changed in the decade and a half since; so has Bains. Nevertheless, the Indian bureaucracy remains resolute in its commitment to red tape. Simply put, information on pro-secessionism individuals and groups has not been adequately updated.

Thus, on landing in India -- valid visa, Punjab Government invitation and all -- Bains was refused permission to leave the airport. His name still appeared on the blacklist. Finally, hectic telephone calls between Chandigarh, Delhi and Washington bailed him out. Hopefully, the chief purpose of Bains' visit -- promoting foreign investment in Punjab -- will not be damaged by the unpleasant start. As a peach farmer with 100,000 acres of land in California, there is much he can do to promote agro-industrial growth back home. More important, he can become Punjab's prodigal son -- the one whom others will follow. It is ridiculous to persist in identifying enemies when the war itself is over. If former extremists want to shrug off their past and get on with life, it is only the country that benefits. Rather than cry wolf, the government should encourage such acts. India's spirit of reconciliation demands nothing less.

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