Toxic corruption

Toxic corruption

Dark clouds loom over AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran's political future after Delhi Police registered an FIR against him for allegedly trying to bribe Election Commission (EC) officials, to regain the two-leaves election symbol for his faction locked in a bitter fight with former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS). The accusation against the nephew of AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala is very serious in nature and must be probed thoroughly , with the book being thrown at offenders. When institutions are being eroded all round the election watchdog stands tall as one of the last defences of Indian democracy. The alleged attempt to bribe EC officials and undermine its integrity threatens the roots of our democratic institutions.
As pressure is mounting on Dinakaran to quit, it is also a fight for survival for AIADMK, thrown into crisis since the demise of supreme leader J Jayalalithaa. The then surrogate chief minister OPS was asked to resign and make way for Jayalalithaa's long-time companion Sasikala. But Sasikala's conviction in a disproportionate assets corruption case in February led to a bitter battle between OPS and Sasikala resulting in her loyalist, Edappadi K Palanisamy (EPS), becoming chief minister.
With efforts now on to unite both factions the uneasiness over Dinakaran, who Jayalalithaa had expelled from the party in 2011, has spilled over into public view. The FIR against Dinakaran in the EC bribery case ought to be the last straw for him, after he was perceived to be behind the bribing of voters that led to the cancellation of the RK Nagar assembly by-election earlier this month. AIADMK factions now ought to merge after working out a power sharing deal between the EPS and OPS factions, setting aside the influence of Sasikala and her nephew.
EC has been the torch bearer in upholding the core value of keeping India's electoral process fair and transparent. But EC itself has come under fire from political parties practising a form of hyper-partisanship as they blame EC for their losses. This needs to end, while the attempt to bribe EC crosses a red line. The case must be pursued vigorously and exemplary punishment handed out to the guilty.