BJP blames PM for blocking Chawla's removal

New Delhi, May 30 (UNI) The BJP today accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of blocking the constitutional process of seeking the views of the Chief Election Commissioner on the demand to remove Mr Navin Chawla as member of the Election Commission.

The BJP, in its resolution adopted at the National Executive, said Mr Chawla was ''a highly partisan former civil servant and his partisan actions included soliciting MPLAD donations from Congress MPs to run his political trust''.

Nearly 205 MPs had approached President A P J Abdul Kalam demanding Mr Chawla's removal as Election Commissioner. The Prime Minister had blocked the process of seeking the CEC's view on whether he should be removed from the post, the BJP alleged.

The party also expressed its unhappiness over the ''attack on the independence of Election Commission by the UPA and its Left allies''. The ruling UPA, it alleged, had attacked the fairness of the EC both in Bihar and in Bengal, even though the body had earned the admiration of common people.

''The UPA has prepared a strategy to wreck the independence and autonomy of the Election Commission from within,'' the resolution said.

Accusing the Congress of subverting democratic institutions and constitional posts whenever it was in office, the BJP said the appointment of Governors was made on party considerations and many of them had become political instruments in the hands of the Congress party in places like Jharkhand, Bihar and Goa.

In Bihar, it said, the unconstitutional dissolution of the Assembly was struck down by the Supreme Court as the move had been made just to prevent the NDA government, led by Mr Nitish Kumar, from taking over the power.

On the Office of Profit Bill, the BJP said the UPA decided to violate Article 102 of the Constitution by ''legislating and legitimising unconstitutionality'' to protect the 40 MPs who have violated the statute book.

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