Row over meet: Letter was not for Chief Election Commissioner, clarifies govt

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, December 18

Amid a controversy over a government communication reportedly calling the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for a meeting, the Ministry of Law & Justice today said the letter was meant for a Secretary of the poll panel or a representative of the CEC, and the subsequent virtual interaction with the CEC and two ECs was to iron out differences over electoral reforms.

In a statement, the ministry said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had written to the Cabinet Secretary, the Law Secretary and the Legislative Secretary for a meeting on November 16 on common electoral rolls. “It was not addressed to the CEC. Since Election Commission of India (ECI) has the necessary expertise and mandate regarding electoral rolls and in the light of the previous letters of the CEC addressed to the Law Minister, the Secretary (Legislative Department) thought it appropriate to invite officials of the commission to this meeting,” the statement read.

The letter by the Legislative Department was addressed to the Secretary and the final operative paragraph of the letter also requested secretary, ECI, to attend the meeting, it added.

“After receipt of the letter by the ECI, the CEC spoke to the secretary, Legislative Department, expressing his displeasure over the expression in the middle part of the letter, which gave an impression that it was expected of the CEC to attend the meeting. The Secretary, Legislative Department, clarified that the letter was for secretary or a representative of the CEC familiar with the subject to attend the meeting,” the statement further read.

The November 16 meeting was to finalise the Cabinet note on some of the reforms and it was held virtually, it added.

“The subsequent interaction with the CEC and two Election Commissioners was an informal one and meant for ironing out two or three aspects for the final proposal,” the ministry said.

However, for the past two days, the Opposition has been hitting out at the government, claiming that by “summoning” the CEC to the PMO, the government had “undermined the autonomy of the poll panel”. The Congress is likely to move a notice on Monday for adjournment of proceedings in the Lok Sabha over the issue.