'Dagger to Ambedkar's ideas': VBA chief slams Modi govt over sudden CEC appointment

The VBA chief's comments come after the selection committee headed by PM Modi on Monday night announced Gyanesh Kumar as the new CEC, hours after a meeting involving LoP Rahul Gandhi, who had asked the Centre to defer the meeting in view of a Supreme Court hearing related to the matter.

Mumbai: Prakash Ambedkar, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President and the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, on Tuesday slammed the Modi government for the sudden appointment of a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), describing the move as a "dagger to Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideas and vision".

The VBA chief's comments come after the selection committee headed by PM Modi on Monday night announced Gyanesh Kumar as the new CEC, hours after a meeting involving Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had asked the Centre to defer the meeting in view of a Supreme Court hearing related to the matter.

“Babasaheb had gifted India with an independent Election Commission, free from the influence of the Executive in the Draft Article 289, which finally ended up as the famous Article 324 of the Constitution,” said Ambedkar, who is a former Lok Sabha MP from Akola in Maharashtra and a one-term Rajya Sabha member.

“A dagger to Babasaheb's ideas and vision! The calculated and crafty late-night appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner was a cowardly move by the BJP,” Ambedkar said.

“I say it is crafty and cowardly because the Supreme Court was going to hear the PIL filed against the new law - The CEC and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023 - on February 19! The new law gives more opportunity for the Executive to dominate the selection process of the Election Commission, which has severe implications on the independence of the Election Commission and on the transparency of the electoral process,” said Ambedkar, a lawyer and an activist.

“In the Anoop Baranwal vs Union of India judgment, the Supreme Court had noted that the Election Commission is an independent body and, therefore, the selection process of its commissioners should not be solely determined by the Executive,” he said.

“The apex court suggested that Parliament should enact a law defining the selection process. The Supreme Court's prescribed Selection Committee consisted of - 1. The Prime Minister, 2. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and 3. The Chief Justice of India. However, the new Act replaced the Chief Justice of India on the Selection Committee with a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister, effectively increasing the Executive's control over appointments,” he added.