When he was CEC, J.M. Lyngdoh made no secret of his dislike for the political class. Now out of office, he remains as sceptical of the breed. Six months ago, the Union HRD ministry, following Supreme Court directions, appointed a six-member committee under his chairmanship to suggest a roadmap for the peaceful conduct of elections on Indian campuses. The panel, after visiting major colleges across the country, submitted its report to the apex court last week and strongly recommended that politicians be kept off campuses. Expectedly, this has offended politicians, both practising and aspiring. In an interview to Anuradha Raman, Lyngdoh spells out how to keep campus elections clean.
The political class and students alike are perturbed by your recommendations. They're particularly angry at your panel's attempts to keep politicians out of colleges...
Universities have been seen as the breeding ground for politicians; most politicians have used their years in college to build their political careers. Some universities even have a tradition of inviting leading politicians to campaign.
You must have visited universities that have had a particularly violent track record...
Are you being unduly harsh on politicians?
Why then the doubt that the panel wasn't for elections?
Is it really possible to delink political parties from their youth wings in colleges?
But what possible fears do you have of national parties visiting campuses?
Is that a suitable option?
One reads reports on expenses going over a crore in some campuses. Is keeping poll expenses at Rs 5,000 per candidate a reasonable option?
Can it be implemented?
If you were offered the job of the vice-chancellor of a university, specially in one that doesn't have a good track record, how would you restore peace during elections?
