Haldwani, Sep 25 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday came out in support of the Election Commission of India (ECI) amid reports of differences within the poll panel, saying that everyone is free to express their opinion and that it need not be “portrayed as something seriously wrong”.
Speaking to reporters in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, CM Dhami said: “There is a procedure in every office, and everyone has their own views. Ultimately, the decision is a collective one. It is not that someone is doing something wrong, while someone else is doing something right.”
“All officials record their comments (in a government establishment). This happens in all departments and even at the Secretariat. A section officer makes a comment, followed by remarks from the Under Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary, and by the time it reaches the Chief Secretary, there are several comments. Ultimately, a decision is taken based on what is considered right,” he stated.
The Chief Minister further said: “Therefore, I don’t think there is any major issue here that needs to be unnecessarily portrayed as something seriously wrong. Ultimately, everyone’s views are taken into consideration, and everyone is free to express their opinion.”
CM Dhami’s reaction comes days after a media report triggered a row by claiming that two Election Commissioners had “objected on record” to several decisions taken by the poll panel, allegedly without their knowledge.
A day before, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the BJP-led Centre, suggesting that Kumar should resign and rather turn “approver” in the alleged “stealing” of votes.
Addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi questioned the “absence of anti-incumbency” against the BJP.
Seeking Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, the LoP said: “What you have done amounts to treason. It is an attack on the Constitution and the legal structure of the country…We are not going to let democracy be destroyed in India and sit in silence. People who are responsible for this are going to get punished someday or the other.”
However, the BJP hit back, claiming that the Congress was attacking EC over “fear of losing elections”.
–IANS
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