Bill to pick poll panel: Oppn says bid to ‘rig’ 2024 polls, make EC ‘govt puppet’, Cong asks BJD, YSRCP to pick sides

Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal tweeted: “What about the Supreme Court’s existing ruling which requires an impartial panel? Why does the PM feel the need to appoint a biased Election Commissioner? This is an unconstitutional, arbitrary and unfair Bill – we will oppose this on every forum.”

Congress MP and whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of wanting to control the Election Commission. “All the Democratic forces must appose. Will BJD and YSRCP do,” Tagore asked.

The Trinamool Congress called the Bill a ploy to “rig” the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the BJP was “afraid” of the united INDIA alliance. “Modi government has again brazenly trampled upon an SC judgment and is making the Election Commission its own bunch of stooges… This is a clear step towards rigging the 2024 elections after fear has been struck into BJP’s heart by the united INDIA alliance,” Gokhale tweeted.

“ECI will now be among the last Constitutional institutions to fall… The Bill is an assault on the Constitution, the Judiciary & people’s rights to elect their own government in a fair and impartial manner,”, he said.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal accused Modi of not following the Supreme Court order and said this is a “very dangerous situation”.

In a series of tweets, Kejriwal said: “I had already said that the prime minister does not obey the Supreme Court of the country. His message is clear – he will bring a law through Parliament to overturn whichever Supreme Court order he does not like. It is a very dangerous situation if the prime minister does not follow the Supreme Court… The prime minister is weakening Indian democracy through decision after decision.”

Calling it a “black day” for democracy, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala linked the Bill to the 2024 Lok Sabha election, adding that “the Modi government is on the verge of defeat”. “… Modi government seeks to reconstitute ‘Election Commission of India’ as ‘Modi Election Commission’. As we objected to the brazen assault on India’s Democracy and bulldozing of the Constitutional independence of ECI, the Bill was deliberately introduced in the din, bypassing all sense of Parliamentary procedures and Constitutional propriety… Executive interference is writ large on the face of this Bill… Modiji must remember – the Constitution and people are above you and we shall fight decisively,” he tweeted.

The Trinamool Congress called the Bill a ploy to “rig” the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the BJP was afraid of the united INDIA alliance. “Shocking. BJP is rigging the 2024 election openly. Modi government has again brazenly trampled upon an SC judgment and is making the Election Commission its own bunch of stooges… Basically now, Modi and one minister will appoint the entire Election Commission. This is a clear step towards rigging the 2024 elections after fear has been struck into BJP’s heart by the united INDIA alliance,” Gokhale tweeted.

CPI(M) leader John Brittas called the Bill an “attempt to subvert” the democratic process in the country. He added that he moved a motion under Rule 167 to object to the introduction of this Bill, which was not allowed even when he was in his seat.

“We fully condemn the attitude of the government and also the way the Bill has been introduced,” he said.

TMC leader Sushmita Dev called it “yet another attempt to control an institution which must be independent”.