A strange move by the Election Commission

The Aam Aadmi friendly Congress has made a total volte face in their stand about inflation. During the NDA regime, minor spikes in price would have the secular leaders crying from the rooftops. Take the Chidambaram bugger for instance. During 2006 he was regularly making comparisons with inflation figures of NDA era.

Apparently the rules have changed, you can't politicize inflation. If the Election Commission has its way, you can't even talk about it:

As the campaign for the state elections kicks off, the BJP has claimed that the Election Commission has unfairly asked it to change a TV campaign advertisement. The ad features leader Sushma Swaraj speaking in Kannada, blaming the Congress and the Central Government for rising prices.

The party says the EC has beeped out all references to the Congress and the centre in the ad. The ad has been released with the beeps on local Kannada channels. "If Shrimati Sushma Swaraj in her message through television and other commercials is to be prevented from exercising her right to a free and legitimate political debate, then action by EC is constitutional monstrosity," says Arun Jaitley. [link]

Talking about rules, apparently the UPA is also contemplating changing the way inflation is reported. They will make the 2003-04 as the baseline and also change the way the index is calculated. See, no inflation!

The move by EC is unprecedented and completely without any basis. Inflation is an election issue in all major democracies. After GDP growth and Aam Aadmi related issues, this is the biggest political talking point. It is preposterous to suggest that inflation is not related to Government policies (apparently it was, during NDA regime).

Something tells us that this is somehow related to the appointment of M. S. Gill, former chief election commissioner as a cabinet minister. This is perhaps EC's way of saying thanks.

Meanwhile, you can't talk about terrorism, you can't talk about growth (doesn't trickle), you can't talk about infrastructure (non-Agriculture), you can't talk about education (there is reservations) ... and now, please don't mention price rise.