Times view

JABALPUR: The Congress is upset about lotuses in full autumn bloom in water bodies of Mahakaushal, Malwa and Bundelkhand regions in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh . The party on Monday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) to “hide” the national flower from public view so that voters aren’t unfairly drawn to the BJP symbol.Demanding a level-playing field, the MP Congress urged the EC for suitable directions to cover all ponds where the lotus is cultivated to be sold across the country.BJP spokesperson Vishwas Sarang hit back, saying it showed the “mental bankruptcy and despondency” of Congress. “It means people should start covering their hands because it is the symbol of the party,” he said.However, the odd request has totally flummoxed Jabalpur election officer Rajesh Jain. He said he was not authorized to take a call on such an issue and would refer it to his superiors.If stone elephants (BSP’s symbol) could be seen as having a possible impact on polls in UP so can the lotus in MP, argued Congress corporator Amar Chand Bawaria.“We have more than 40 constituencies spanning Dhanpur, Gotegon, Deori, Barela, Bargi, Bhedaghat, Magarmoha, Panagar, Usner, Gosalpur, Sihora, in and around Jabalpur, Hoshangabad, Pipariya and Sohagpur besides Dhar, Dewas belt in Malwa along with pockets in Bundelkhand where lotus farming is undertaken on a large scale,” Congress corporator Amar Chand Bawaria.The EC ordered draping of Mayawati’s stone elephants across parks and memorials in Lucknow and other places in UP the run-up to the polls. The elephants were covered with sheets because the poll panel did not want BSP’s symbol to unfairly affect the voters.“Going by the same argument, Congress does not want the lotus crop to influence our chances adversely by making voters think about BJP,” Bawaria said.Another local Congress leader Manmohan Agrawal said district election officer in Dhar, CB Singh, already assured that a pond adjacent to a polling booth in Manawar constituency would be draped with a canvas during the elections. “We are demanding a similar assurance in all constituencies where lotuses abound,” he said.Agarwal recalled how AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh had led a delegation to the EC in 2008 with a demand that Class VI social sciences textbooks in government schools be taken off as they carried the imprint of lotus. “The CEC had expressed displeasure with the MP government and given it a two-week deadline to carry out the necessary changes. I am sure the commission will take cognizance of this issue as well,” he said.When the Election Commission ordered all elephant statues should be covered in UP to deny BSP an undue advantage in the last assembly polls, it had raised eyebrows. But the current demand has taken things to a bizarre level. Next BJP could demand that everyone be asked to keep their hands in the pockets lest the Congress symbol gets unfair prominence during polls. It’s time we put an end to such absurdities and let common sense prevail.