Opposition twisting SC order on Election Commissioners appointments: BJP

New Delhi: Amid the uproar over the new Bill seeking to regulate the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, BJP has accused the opposition parties of misleading the country yet again.

The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the post-lunch session on Thursday.

According to the Bill, future chief election commissioner and election commissioners will be selected by a three-member panel headed by the prime minister and comprising leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Cabinet minister.

While the opposition parties are claiming that this is in contrast to a Supreme Court judgment of March this year which said the panel should comprise the PM, LoP in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India, BJP accused them of twisting the Supreme Court order for political gains.

Responding to the allegations levelled by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh that the Modi government wants to ensure control over the Election Commission in a poll year, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala shared a copy of the detailed order. 

“SC in its detailed judgment, clearly said that the arrangement proposed by it would continue only till Parliament makes a law and Parliament has also been empowered to make a law by the Constitution vide 324(2),” he said.

Adding that there is also no such arrangement in states where it is the Governor who on aid and advice of the CM and Council of Ministers appoints the state election commissioners, Poonawala asked if Congress has a chief justice, LoP siting in a panel to appoint the SEC in Karnataka or Himachal or TMC has that in West Bengal? 

“No, because the Constitution doesn’t envisage it,” Poonawala asserted. “But Congress excels at the art of doublespeak as it did in the Delhi Services issue too.”

“With this elaborate explanation, perhaps Jairam (Ramesh) can stop spinning and tell us if his Govt in Karnataka will be willing to include the chief justice of Karnataka in a panel to appoint the SEC… is Mamata Di ready for it? Why don’t you walk the talk?” Poonawala asked.

“Again, the Constitution and SC judgement is clear and that’s where this should end,” Poonawala concluded.

Jairam Ramesh perhaps has a doctorate in the art of spinning & peddling half truths

He did it on the New Parliament after once proposing it and now on the CEC ,EC appt Bill

Here are some facts

1) SC in its detailed judgment (excerpt below) clearly said that the arrangement… pic.twitter.com/hbGaHsiwtb

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) August 11, 2023

Sharing a letter written in June 2012 by veteran BJP leader L K Advani to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ramesh said on Friday that even he had said that the appointments to constitutional bodies should be done in a bipartisan manner to remove any impression of bias.

The Centre on Thursday tabled a contentious bill in Rajya Sabha that seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India with a cabinet minister in the panel for selection of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners, in a move that will allow the government to have more control in the appointments of members of the poll panel.

Ramesh said Advani had also proposed a panel at that time with the Chief Justice of India and leaders of opposition in both houses, besides the prime minister.

"In its current form, the CEC Bill will ensure executive interference with its 2:1 dominance of the Committee. This coming from the Modi government in a election year further cements the view that Mr. Modi wants to ensure control over the Election Commission," the Congress leader charged on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“There is a rapidly growing opinion in the country which holds that appointments to Constitutional bodies such the Election Commission should be done on a bipartisan basis in order to remove any impression of bias or lack of transparency and fairness.”

No, this isn’t a Modi… pic.twitter.com/NDXAHLQ6DZ

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 11, 2023