CEC recommendation: Cong and CPM on one side, BJP wants Chawla out

Major political parties remained sharply divided on Sunday over CEC N Gopalswami's recommendation to remove election commissioner Navin Chawla with the Congress and the CPI-M firmly saying it should be rejected by the government while the BJP pressed for its immediate acceptance.
     
Attacking Gopalaswami, who demits office in April, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, "There is remarkable congruence of views between that of the BJP and what it wants and some actions of the Election Commission" in an apparent attempt to turn the tables on BJP which had accused Chawla of bias towards Congress.
     
On the demand for Chawla's sacking, Singhvi said, "the institution of Election Commission is far bigger than individuals. Everybody will be continuing or retiring as the law mandates."
     
The CPI-M termed the CEC move as "out of bounds" and demanded that the proposal, which raised suspicion of members "playing politics", be rejected by the government.
     
"The suo motu recommendation by chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami to remove one of the election commissioners Navin Chawla is out of bounds and can only damage the institution of the Election Commission," a CPI(M) Polit Bureau statement said.
    
Leader of the opposition and BJP leader L K Advani said the government should accept CEC's proposal without any delay.
    
"The CEC's recommendation with regard to Navin Chawla be forthwith accepted by government," Advani wrote in his blog.
    
On behalf of the BJP, party general secretary Arun Jaitley has rightly argued that the word 'recommendation' used in the second provision of Article 324(3) must be construed as a binding recommendation, Advani said.
    
RJD chief Lalu Yadav said in Patna that he is against appointment of retired bureacrats in the Election Commission.