New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh today (Dec 26, 2003) came in for sharp attack from political parties over his statement dubbing politicians as "cancer", with a leader calling it "characteristically unbalanced" and "sweeping", which would weaken democracy.

"The Chief Election Commissioner is a responsible post and he should attempt to do the job properly. To call politicians cancer is not proper and makes mockery of democracy," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president M Venkaiah Naidu said such observations would only "lessen his credibility and damage democracy."

Congress spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said, "We cannot share his cynicism. This kind of statement does weaken democracy". Despite questions on the issue, he, however chose to ignore them saying that it was not the job of a national party to make comments and observations on everything.

Union Agriculture Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh said, "When a person himself crosses the limit of dignity, he hurts the dignity of the office."

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Karan Singh regretted that the CEC in "one of his characteristically unbalanced statements has tarred all politicians of India with the same brush" and therefore it was not justified.

"The remedy lies in improving the quality and calibre of people in politics rather than condemning them wholesale," he said.