Modi govt wants to ensure ‘control’ over EC in poll year: Congress

Parliament said on Friday that Modi’s government wanted to secure control of the Electoral Commission in an election year.
In a June 2012 letter from veteran Bharatiya Janata leader LK Advani to then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, parliamentary leader Jairam Ramesh called for a constitution to dispense with the impression of prejudice. He said he had said appointments to the agency should be bipartisan.
The center on Thursday replaced the chief justice of India’s Supreme Court with the chairman of the electoral commission and a minister of the commission that elects commissioners, a controversial move aimed at tightening the government’s control over the appointment of members of the election commissioner’s electoral body. A draft law was submitted to the state of Raja Sabah. .
Advani then proposed a panel discussion with the prime minister, India’s chief attorney general, and opposition leaders from both houses, Ramesh said.
“In its current form, the CEC bill would ensure executive intervention for a two-to-one advantage in commissions.” “This statement issued by the Modi government in an election year further reinforces the view that Mr Modi wants to ensure control of the Electoral Commission,” the parliamentary leader said on X (formerly Twitter). condemned. With the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana scheduled for elections this year, Advani wrote to Singh: “Avoid the impression of being unbiased or lacking prejudice. Transparency and fairness,” Ramesh said, adding, “No, it’s not a criticism of Modi.
This is an excerpt from the second paragraph of a letter from Advani to the then prime minister. “Mr. Manmohan Singh, June 2, 2012. The letter can still be seen on the BJP website.” He said he had proposed a committee made up of opposition leaders from both houses. .
“The CEC bill presented by the Modi government not only contradicts Mr. Advani’s proposal, but also reverses the 2 March 2023 ruling by five constitutional judges.” Citing a Supreme Court ruling, Congressional leaders said, “‘To ensure the independence of the Electoral Commission as a constitutional agency, both the Office of the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the Electoral Commission should It must be isolated from interference.”
Congress and other opposition parties oppose the new CEC bill.