Congress governments bribed CECs with Padma awards, claims Piyush Goyal
What's the story
Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday accused the Congress of compromising the integrity of the Election Commission, alleging that the party rewarded election officials with political appointments, ministerial posts, and civilian honors like Padma Awards for favoring the party. Targeting Rahul Gandhi directly, he said, "For the past few days, we have been seeing the......double standards of Rahul Gandhi....I want to ask some questions to Rahul Gandhi. Congress questions the fairness of Election Commission but overlooks its own track record."
Appointment scrutiny
Goyal cites examples of former Chief Election Commissioners
Goyal cited examples of former Chief Election Commissioners to support his claims.
He questioned the transfer of MS Gill between the Election Commission, Parliament, and Union Cabinet as a possible "quid pro quo." Gill later became Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs.
He also referred to RK Trivedi's tenure as Chief Election Commissioner. He said his tenure ended on December 31, 1985, and within two months, on February 26, 1986, the Rajiv Gandhi-led government appointed him Governor of Gujarat.
CEC controversy
Questions over Naveen Chawla's appointment as Election Commissioner
Goyal also raised questions over the appointment of Naveen Chawla as Election Commissioner in 2005.
He argued that Sonia Gandhi, who was not a government official then, could not have made the appointment.
"At that time, the system was such that the Prime Minister and the government appointed Election Commissioners..." he said.
He also revisited the 2009 controversy involving then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, who recommended Chawla's removal for being partisan toward Congress.
Undermining allegations
Allegations extended to Kerala Chief Electoral Officers
Goyal's allegations extended beyond the Election Commission to include former Kerala Chief Electoral Officers Tikaram Meena and Ratan U Kelkar.
He claimed Meena joined Congress's manifesto team in Rajasthan after serving as Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer, while Kelkar was appointed secretary to Kerala CM VD Satheesan in May 2026, soon after the Assembly elections.
"Was the deal: 'You help us in the election, and we will immediately appoint you to a post'?" Goyal asked.
Twitter Post
I want to ask Rahul Gandhi 10 questions: Goyal
Delhi: Union Minister Piyush Goyal says, "I want to ask Rahul Gandhi 10 questions today through you. I believe he will not have an answer to even one of these 10 questions. Considering the kind of behaviour we have witnessed from him, his 'shoot and scoot' policy of making… pic.twitter.com/LEilKdTfle
— IANS (@ians_india) October 13, 2026
Protest criticism
Opposition protests against Chief Election Commissioner's alleged electoral irregularities
The Union minister's allegations come amid rising opposition protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.
Calling the allegations biased, Goyal said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NDA government has granted the Election Commission complete autonomy to function independently.
"It has never attempted to offer political benefits to any appointed Election Commissioner....the government has never committed the wrongdoing of offering them political positions in violation of legal provisions..."