Rahul Gandhi disagrees with PM, Shah's central panel chiefs' selection
What's the story
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday raised objections during a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The meeting was convened to finalize appointments to key transparency institutions such as the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, submitted a formal note of dissent against government-proposed names for these watchdog bodies, India Today reported.
Dissent details
Gandhi's dissent part of ongoing concerns
The meeting lasted for nearly an hour and a half, during which Gandhi formally recorded his disagreement in writing. He has been vocal about his apprehensions that the government is trying to undermine the independence of these institutions. The details of the shortlisted candidates or specifics of Gandhi's objections were not immediately disclosed, but India Today sources said this dissent was an extension of his long-standing concerns.
Election manipulation
Gandhi accuses BJP of manipulating Election Commission
Earlier on Wednesday, Gandhi also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning the Election Commission into a "tool for vote chori." He raised questions over recent changes to election laws and other developments in a speech shared on X. The issues he highlighted included removing the Chief Justice of India from the EC selection panel and granting near-total legal immunity to the Commission before upcoming polls.
Democratic integrity
Gandhi's proposals to safeguard democratic framework
In a debate on election reforms on Tuesday, Gandhi accused the BJP and Election Commission of collusion to undermine India's democratic framework. He proposed several measures to safeguard democracy, including sharing machine-readable voter lists with all parties a month before polling and reversing the 45-day CCTV destruction rule. He also demanded greater access to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and amendments to laws that protect election commissioners from accountability.