Chief election commissioner MS Gill was speaking to mediapersons here on Friday. Referring to the August 19 press note of the EC banning screening of a documentary on Kargil by the government at this juncture, he clarified that the three-member panel has maintained that Kargil has become a "major issue and who are we to stop anyone from raising it."

On a query whether the armed forces could be kept out from any debate on Kargil, Gill said, "Our political parties are mature enough. They know how to do it and they will do it."

He said the issue of display of portraits of three service chiefs at a rally addressed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is now a closed chapter with the prime minister himself describing it as wrong.

Gill informed the media that the candidature of a candidate in the Srikakulam constituency has been cancelled, as he had filed afalse affidavit claiming that he does not have any criminal background.

Gill pointed out that he was satisfied with the compliance of the model of conduct by all the parties and states. He admitted that some of the commission's officials have been unduly harsh, but the overall "situation is under control".

The chief election commissioner said the commission in its efforts to ensure free and fair elections has already replaced several collectors, district magistrates and senior police officers in many constituencies in ten states including all the three deputy commissioners in the Kashmir valley.

"We are satisfied with the responses we are getting on implementation of the model code of conduct," he said, maintaining that the states have been complying with the directives of the commission.

The CEC said that adequate planning has been made in consultation with the Union home ministry to provide necessary security during the poll process despite constraints arising due to the situation in Kargil and inother parts of Jammu & Kashmir.

"The campaigning too has been fairly good so far, but I will not give first division marks," he said, cautioning political parties and candidates that there were still many weeks to go for completion of the poll process.

"Please watch your own (party's) reputation... Please debate but control your language," he said adding, "After October 3, the last day of polling, life will still go on in this country."

The commission, he said, is making all arrangements for visits by delegations from Russia, Thailand, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Surinam and Australia to observe the Indian elections. Special coloured passes would be made available for the diplomatic community in the Capital to witness the polls, he added.

Praising Jawans is no violation: PM

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asserted on Friday that Kargil was a national issue and appreciating the role of armed forces in flushing out infiltrators from there did not amount to violation of model code of conduct forelectioneering.

"Kargil is certainly a national issue because our brave soldiers gave a befitting reply to the Pakistan's aggression, achieving victory by flushing them out from our territory and I do not think that patting them for this success is in any way violation of the election Commission's guidelines," Vajpayee told reporters in Lucknow.

"We are not dragging our armed forces into any controversy or trying to take political mileage out of this in the election....We are only complimenting our brave soldiers for their act of bravery and valour and there is nothing wrong in it," the Prime Minister said.