Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday condemned the government’s decision to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) late on Monday night, calling it “disrespectful” and “discourteous.” The appointment came just hours after a meeting of the Prime Minister-led selection committee, where the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had requested the government to defer the decision in light of the ongoing Supreme Court hearing regarding the selection process.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi shared a dissent note he presented during the meeting, where he expressed concerns over the integrity of the process. “During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM. It stated that the most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission, free from executive interference, is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi Criticizes Government’s Actions and Supreme Court Violation
The Congress leader further criticized the government’s actions, claiming that by violating a Supreme Court order and excluding the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee, the Modi government had intensified fears about the credibility of the electoral process. “By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi Government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” he added.
Gandhi, as Leader of Opposition, emphasized that it was his responsibility to uphold the ideals set by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the nation’s founding leaders while holding the government accountable. He argued that making a decision in the middle of the night, while the composition of the selection committee and the process were being challenged in the Supreme Court, was inappropriate and disrespectful.
“It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours,” Gandhi said in his post, voicing his disappointment with the government’s disregard for the ongoing legal proceedings.
The appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new CEC has raised concerns about the transparency and independence of the electoral process in India, with Gandhi and other critics questioning the timing and legality of the decision. The issue is now set to be heard by the Supreme Court, which could determine the validity of the government’s actions in the coming days.
