EC partial: Jaya

Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, Apr 10 (UNI) Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa has alleged that the Election Commission was functioning in a ''partial manner'' and adopting ''different yardsticks for different people'' while implementing the Model Code of Conduct.

Ms Jayalalithaa, who was on a whirlwind campaign tour for the May eight Assembly elections, told newspersons here last evening that Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh's announcement on 27 per cent reservation in educational institutions for students of Other Backward Class(OBC) at a time when election schedule had been announced for five states, was a blatant violation of the Model Code.

''Though the AIADMK is not against reservation policy as the party Government has already implemented 69 per cent reservation in educational institutions, we oppose the time chosen by the Centre to make the announcement. It has been made with an ulterior motive of deriving political mileage,'' she sakd.

Ms Jayalalithaa also castigated the poll panel for immediately ordering the transfer of Chennai City Police Commissioner R Nataraj on a ''trivial issue,'' while on the other hand, serving a notice on a Cabinet Secretary in the Union Minister's case.

''Why did the EC did not serve such a notice on Mr Nataraj and give him an opportunity to offer his explanation? The poll panel has adopted different yardsticks for the police officer and the Union Minister. The EC has not acted in an impartial manner as expected of it,'' she alleged.

Ms Jayalalithaa also demanded to know what further action the EC propose to take against the Union Minister for his alleged violation of the Model Code. ''Is it going to be content with just serving a notice or will it take any further action? Is the EC apprehensive of initiating action as the matter involved a Union Minister,'' she asked.

Pointing out that the Tamil Nadu Government had to move the High Court to stay the EC's order to transfer the Police Commissioner, she wondered why the poll panel did not take any immediate action in Mr Singh's case.

'From this, we have to infer that the EC has power to take action against a Police Commissioner but not against a Union Minister. It is condemnable, if the poll panel chooses to take action after weighing the status of an individual,'' she said.

UNI