In an obvious reference to the the ongoing peaceful protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and a National Register of Citizens exercise in the future, former President Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday such agitations would lead to a deepening of the democratic roots. Mr. Mukherjee was speaking at the first annual Sukumar Sen Memorial lecture organised by the Election Commission of India in honour of the first Chief Election Commissioner of India. He said the ECI embargoes sanction and implementation of development projects during elections, which impacts administration. On women’s representation, he called for the “immediate passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill”. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said the objective of the lecture series was to make a positive intervention in the democratic and electoral discourse.

Source: The Hindu January 23, 2020 22:30 UTC