The Left Front government in Kerala, trying to expand its populist rice subsidy scheme and to get maximum dividends in the Assembly elections, on Monday faced a direct threat from the Election Commission as it approached the Supreme Court for a stay order against the scheme.
As the Kerala High Court had approved the state government’s February 25 decision expanding the `2 per kg rice scheme to all ration card holders on the grounds that it was not a new proposal but only an extension of existing scheme, the EC saw the move only an attempt to “influence” the voters, and thus violating the model code of conduct.
The matter could not be taken up on Monday as its special leave petition (SLP) against the HC order could not be registered, which is a mandatory exercise.
Finally, the EC got the SLP registered at the fag end of the day and made a final mention of the case to get it listed for Wednesday.
The EC petition said that tough the government took a decision on February 25 and the press release by the poll panel on Assembly elections was issued on March 1, the state government’s decision still violates the model code as a formal notification was only issued on March 19.
“The EC and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala have received a number of complaints from various sources alleging that the application forms for getting rice at `2 per kg were being distributed from house to house to gain political mileage,” the SLP said while citing names of Congress MP K. Sudhakaran, Opposition leader Oomen Chandy and several MLAs and MLCs as complainants.