Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday submitted a formal note of dissent during a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, sources said. The meeting was held to finalise appointments to key transparency institutions, including the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). Sources indicated that the meeting lasted for nearly an hour and a half, during which Gandhi objected to the names proposed by the government and submitted his disagreement in writing.
Concerns over institutional independence
As Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi is a statutory member of the selection committees responsible for appointing heads of these watchdog bodies. According to sources, he has consistently raised concerns that the government is making efforts to undermine the autonomy and independence of institutions meant to ensure transparency and accountability. His dissent was described as a continuation of those long-standing objections, as per sources.
Attack on the Election Commission
Earlier in the day, Gandhi stepped up his attack on the BJP government on another front by accusing it of turning the Election Commission into a "tool for vote chori". Posting a clip of his speech in the Lok Sabha on X, he raised three questions regarding recent amendments to election laws: The removal of the Chief Justice of India from the Election Commission selection panel, the grant of near-total legal immunity to the Commission ahead of the 2024 polls, and the decision to destroy CCTV footage within 45 days. "The answer is one, BJP is turning the Election Commission into a tool for vote theft," he added.
'BJP turning EC into tool for vote chori'
In a no-holds-barred attack, Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission were "colluding to destroy" India's democracy and "rob people of their voice". Participating in the discussion on election reforms, Gandhi claimed the BJP is "directing and using" the Election Commission to damage India's democracy. Making suggestions, Gandhi called for providing machine readable voter list to all parties one month before elections, taking back the law that allows destruction of CCTV footage after 45 days, giving access to EVMs, and changing the law that allows election commissioners "to get away with whatever they want to do".
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