I eat politicians for breakfast'

- Last Tuesday, Supreme Court ex-Chief Election Commissioner Sr. T. N. Remembered Sheshan

- Horizon-Bhaven Katchi

- The term of the Chief Election Commissioner is six years..14 Chief Election Commissioners have been appointed in India in the last 18 years.

- Ex-Prime Minister late Narasimha Rao and Mulayam Singh would also be fired

- Punjab elections were suddenly canceled, West Bengal Chief Minister was also exposed

The Su Prem Court last Tuesday termed the fact that political parties keep changing election commissioners according to their interests in India as a serious matter in terms of democratic system. In 46 years from 1950 to 1996, 10 Chief Election Commissioners were appointed. However, 15 Chief Election Commissioners have been appointed in the last 26 years. In other words, UPA Six in 10 years of government and N.D.A. Eight chief election commissioners have been appointed in the government's eight-year rule, i.e., one such chief officer every year on an average.

The Supreme Court wants the Chief Election Officer to use the unfettered powers vested in him for the transparent conduct and conduct of elections. The Supreme Court ex-Chief Election Commissioner Sr. T. N. Sheshan also specially remembered what an exemplary contribution he had made. He was the last Chief Election Commissioner of India to complete his term of six years.

Sheshan Saheb was not a toothless tiger, but he would kill even the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister if needed. Let us remember the contribution of TN Sheshan when it is election season.

The bureaucrats of the country have so much power that they can transform the city, state and the country if they think so, but most of the officials themselves are morally corrupt and become sophisticated class one or two peons of the leaders and fulfill their wishes in the hope of a plum post or place. Sheshan Saheb is to be remembered as the idea and implementation of the photo identity card that we carry today while voting despite opposition from all party leaders (yes, all gathered then) he succeeded.

This photo ID only led us to PAN card and Aadhaar card. In 1990, during the short-lived government of Prime Minister Chandrasekhar, Subramanian Swamy was the Law Minister at the Centre. Swami and Sheshan were friends at Harvard together. Subramaniam Swamy suggested Sheshan's name as Chief Election Commissioner to Chandrasekhar and for the next six years, Sheshan made that post memorable for how a bureaucrat could create a revolution.

This side of Sheshan was appointed and within weeks Chandrasekhar's government collapsed as the Congress withdrew support. After that, when Rajiv Gandhi met Subramanian Swamy, he jokingly said, 'Do you know what he has done by sitting Sheshan?' Even then bureaucrats and leaders of 1955 batch IAS Sheshan, wherever he was posted, used to talk about his efficiency and great awe when they met in clubs or canteens.

In that period of 1990s, politicians were left with bureaucrats to polish their boots in public. During the elections, the candidates used to smuggle cash and liquor to the voters. If a candidate feels that he will not get votes in some areas or that he will lose, booth capturing by goons is considered a natural occurrence. Bogus voting was at its peak. In such an era 'Enter the Sheshan' and 'Rest is the History'. As soon as Seshan arrived, he announced strict laws on candidates and electoral process which was a new chapter of Azad India. Candidates have to declare their income as well as police record.

He has to make it compulsory not to spend more than the prescribed amount on campaign and to account for it. Every voter must have an Election Commission approved photo ID. He started announcing the list of rules one by one. When the grassroots from the leaders started showing negative attitude that it was impractical to provide such photo ID to more than 70 crore voters of India, Seshan devised a blueprint to carry out the project by assigning the work to private agencies from village to village across India. When his tenure ended in 1996, photo identity cards started coming to the voters, and the country became aware again.

During their tenure Chandrasekhar, Narasimha Rao, Vajpayee and Deve Gowda remained as Prime Ministers and did not succumb to any interference or pressure but maintained the respect, authority and dignity that the Constitution has given to an Election Commissioner.

A senior journalist recalled an incident during an interview with Sheshan and wrote that 'His strictness made the top leaders sleepless because of his strictness, when I was talking to him a phone call came. Seshan picked up the phone and knowing who it was, answered the caller with anger and sarcasm saying 'Tell your sir to follow the protocol'. Seshan then said 'sorry' to me and added that these people are treating the Election Commissioner as if they were his subordinates. The constitution dignifies our position with such authority that no one can talk to us except the minister or the prime minister.

Seshan then added that the brother who had received the call was telling me 'I am speaking from Prime Minister Narasimha Rao's office ..he has said that ...' I took his word for it. Interrupting in the middle, he said that 'Tell the Prime Minister to call me directly, he knows the protocol.. Don't hold the line and talk to me as if there is no one in between.' Seshan added at that time that no minister or staff of the Prime Minister's office takes advice and if given, I will fire it.' Then the interviewing journalist adds his reminiscences as soon as another phone call comes in a matter of seconds. It belonged to Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.

He seemed to complain bitterly about the excessive rigor in the electoral process. Sheshan did not flinch in front of Narasimha Rao. He said in the tone of an employee or official at the opposite end that 'as much as you are interested in relaxing the election rules, you need to show strictness in making the candidates follow the code of conduct.' After that Sesha knocked the phone a little and put it on the cradle as if nothing had happened.

In Uttar Pradesh, when Samajwadi Party goons were firing to intimidate voters and booth capturing, bogus voting was going on as rampantly as in previous elections, with a single stroke of the pen, he declared all those seats void. Mulayam Singh was very scared at that time. Mulayam Singh knocked the phone but Sheshan did not come on the line. They canceled the election of those seats but did not allow the landing of the helicopter that Mulayam Singh was going to take for the campaign tour when the campaign limit would be over.

A clear notice was also issued to them that if they do not follow the order, then the candidature will be cancelled.

Seeing the way the campaign was conducted after the announcement of the Punjab assembly elections, he created a huge uproar by canceling the election hours before the polling began.

Leftists in West Bengal impeached him to oust him, but he was unsuccessful. To keep a check on him, the central government for the first time placed two other election commissioners with him. Seshan filed a case against the Center in the Supreme Court against this decision, but the verdict was against her.

Despite this, Sheshan's strictness remained the same. He also started the setup that the election process should be conducted under the watchful eye of lakhs of employees, police and paramilitary staff and observers across the country. He designed the framework for implementing the current strict constitution of the Code of Conduct.

While serving as the Transport Secretary of Tamil Nadu, one day during the bus drivers' strike, he surprised everyone by driving a bus on several kilometers of public roads. After that the strike was ended by compromise. If an officer or employee was negligent in his duty and did not achieve the targets, a common reprimand would be to 'drown in the nearest water'.

After 1996, he established 'Deshabhakta Trust' with the intention of serving the country.

He stood against LK Adwa from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat and then stood as a representative of the democratic country in the presidential election in which he lost as expected. It has to be admitted that many of his ideologies were controversial and not comprehensive.. He wanted to send a message to the common citizen that everyone has the right to be a public representative.

As the Chief Election Commissioner's midday was hot, he used to motivate his fellow officers by saying 'I eat politicians for breakfast'.

Born in Palakkad, Kerala (December 15, 1932) and Magsaysay Award winner Sheshan Dharmapatni, after the death of his wife, lived in an old age home in Chennai away from worldly disturbances and died there on (November 10, 2019).

Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan spent his life as a one-man army and set an example to the citizens and employees of the country that you can be a torchbearer if you set your mind to it.

Knowledge Post: Yesterday I was clever. So wanted to change the world. Today, having become wise, I am changing myself.- Rumi