BJP tells Left to take stand on ECs’ status

The BJP continued its attack against the Centre’s reported attempt to bring Election Commissioners on par with the Chief Election Commissioner to “save” EC Naveen Chawla and asked the Left parties to take a clear stand on the issue.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, who has been at the forefront alleging Election Commissioner Navin Chawla’s closeness to the Congress, asked the Left parties to clarify whether they would “blindly support the constitutionally inappropriate action” as suggested by Union Law Minister H R Bhardwaj’s statement, which said the Constitution would be amended “ostensibly to create parity between the three members of the EC”. Jaitley added the Congress’s move was aimed at making the NDA petition seeking Chawla’s removal as Election Commissioner “infructous” but it would also test the Left parties.

“Chawla’s episode will once again put the Left parties on trial. They will have to make a judgment whether to blindly support the constitutionally inappropriate action of the Congress or lean in favour of strengthening independent constitutional institutions,” he said. The Left, he added, had a rather dubious role in regard to issues like “partisan governors” and office-of-profit.

The Government had strongly defended Chawla last week with Bhardwaj saying a constitutional amendment could be brought in. Jaitley hit back saying the minister’s statement only showed how far the Congress could go to “save” Chawla and just how much “value the Congress attaches to the continuation of Chawla as a member of the EC”.