Varun, EC and criteria for contesting elections

The decision of the Election Commissioner advising BJP no to field Varun as a candidate is on one hand a very welcome decision, but on the other hand it is an emotional reaction rather than a professional judgment. We all agree that candidates like Varun are not good for our country but at the same time institutions like the EC or the Judiciary have to be transparent, fair and consistent. They need to avoid a few typical pitfalls like the recency effect. If Varun’s speech is unacceptable then what about the communal, partisan or incendiary speeches made by so many other leaders in the past? More importantly if persons with criminal record and who have been charged with serious crimes like murder, rape, arson, rioting can contest election then why not Varun Gandhi? In fact, winning an election is a proven path to put your past behind and move ahead. If Arun Gawli could contest and win an election, then why others be not allowed the same privilege? Arun Gawli is just one example. 30-40% of all candidates should be debarred from contesting elections on the ground of their criminal record. Unfortunately our constitution was written by eminent people who could not have imagined in their wildest dreams the current state of affairs in politics and our leaders who pretend to serve this country and its people. Going by the prevalent practices of that era they put very simple criteria to qualify as a candidate. It is high time amendment was done to reflect the needs of the changing times. Only people with clean record should be allowed to contest and hold public office. In case of controversial candidates like Sanjay Dutt, Shibu Soren and so many others, the country would do well to err on the safe side by not allowing such candidates to contest elections or hold public office. Till such time, to single out Varun is not only unfair but also a little premature.