NDA MPs urge Kalam to seek CEC's opinion on Navin Chawla

New Delhi, Mar 16 (UNI) Renewing its offensive against Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, the NDA today urged President A P J Abdul Kalam to seek the advice and recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Mr Chawla's continuance in the post.

A delegation led by NDA Convenor George Fernandes and Leader of Opposition L K Advani submitted a 12-page petition signed by 205 of its MPs which said it was the NDA's view that the CEC was the key person aware of the facts about the functioning of Mr Chawla who was perceived to be an ''extremely close family friend'' of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her family.

The petition has a detailed reference about Mr Chawla's role during the Emergency days and an annexe with an extract of Justice J C Shah Commission's report saying the Election Commissioner and his wife Rupika ran the Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust which had secured MPLAD funds from Congress MPs -- A A Khan, R P Goenka, Ambika Soni, Dr Karan Singh and Mr A R Kidwai.

The trust was allotted six acres of land by the Congress government in Rajasthan when Mr Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister.

When the NDA raised the issue, the petition said, Mr Chawla claimed that former Union Minister in the NDA government, Sahib Singh Verma, had offered to pay Rs 5,00,000 from his MPLAD fund but the donation was not accepted because he was not the area MP although the trust had activities in Jasola in Badarpur.

Mr Chawla's claim that he did not accept Mr Verma's offer was also false since Mr Verma was the area MP and none else was approached.

The MPs said they had information that the original file which granted permission to Mr Chawla to set up the trust had gone ''missing''.

Talking to newspersons after the meeting, Mr Advani said the delegation told the President about the important role played by the EC in holding fair and objective elections in Bihar and Jharkhand and it was overwhelmingly felt that Mr Chawla's presence in the Constitutional body would hinder its effective functioning at a time when polls have been scheduled in four states and Pondicherry, including key states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The petition casts doubts about the conduct of Mr Chawla in the EC saying the suggestions made by him were ''excessively partisan'' in nature and were moves to help the Congress party.

''We are not going into the details of these issues and since we believe that the CEC should have first hand information on Mr Chawla's conduct in the EC, he must take into consideration all facts regarding this in the course of proceedings of the Commission and its functioning.'' Mr Advani, a former Home Minister, said an EC member can be removed by President on the recommendations of the CEC and the Cabinet did not come into picture. The NDA was of the opinion that the CEC's recommendations were binding on the President, he said.

Leaders who were part of the delegation included BJP President Rajnath Singh, former Union Ministers S S Dhindsa and Sushma Swaraj, and senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.

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