BJP, Congress lock horn over EC issue again

New Delhi: The war between the Congress and the BJP over Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami's recommendation to sack his colleague Navin Chawla has intensified. The BJP has made it clear that they will remove Navin Chawla as Election Commissioner if the party were to come to power.

The Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalswami had recommended his removal; accusing him of being partisan.

Speaking on CNN-IBN's Weekend Edition BJP Leader Arun Jaitley said that his party's agitation against Chawla would continue and hinted that if the NDA comes to power it would examine all Constitutional options to remove him.

"Well, we will always act as per the constitution. A larger reply of what you say is that the issue is not Navin Chawla, the issue is fairness. Hereby we say that we are ready for a constitutional amendment righ away just as the anti terror law was brought. We will co-operate with the government and let us institutionalise a fair procedure for the appointment of members of the EC," said Arun Jaitley.

The UPA though has come out in Chawla's defence.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "Here the prosecutor becomes a judge. If his interpretation is right, you will destroy the independence of this institution. Because everytime an Election Commissioner disagrees with a Chief Election Commissioner, the CEC will recommend his removal and according to Jaitley it is binding," said Kapil Sibal.

Both Sibal and Jaitley also disagreed on the power vested in the executive to take certain decisions. Jaitley said, "What will destroy the Election Commission is (a) the appointment of a biased individual, (b) rejection of a recommendation that the individual is biased and (c) vesting the power in the political executive as Sibal says of having the power to have the final word whether an Election Commissioner is biased or not."

"Even with the removal of any constitutional authority the political executive has the power. Even for the Judge, it is the political power in the Parliament that is the final authority," said Kapil Sibal.

With just two months to go for the General elections, the crisis in India's Election Commission looks all set to become a major poll issue.

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