Unhappy with minister’s reply, opposition parties walk out of Rajya Sabha over Bill to appoint CEC, ECs

NEW DELHI: Unhappy with the Union minister’s reply to the discussion on the bill regulating the appointment of CEC and election commissioners, leaders of several opposition parties on Tuesday walked out of Rajya Sabha in protest, alleging the government wanted to control the poll panel.

They said that Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal’s reply to the debate on the bill was unconvincing and asked why the government replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Union minister in the selection committee for appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners.

“The independence, autonomy and impartiality of poll machinery in the country have been crushed under the bulldozer,” Congress’ Randeep Surjewala alleged on the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 that was passed by a voice vote in the Upper House.

After the walkout, senior Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said, “It has now become clear that this government wants to have total control over the Election Commission and wants to tilt the election process in their favour.”

“Now there is no scope of holding impartial elections,” he claimed.

Surjewala said the Modi government has attacked India’s Constitution with this legislation and the opposition parties are standing together in one voice against it.

“They will appoint their own CEC and ECs and will run the EC of their own will and will decide victory and defeat on their own will,” he said.

“We will not allow this voice to die and this struggle will continue from Parliament to the streets,” he said.

Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said opposition parties were of the view that justice should be done and not just “seen to be done”.