BJP for maintaining Election panel's autonomy

New Delhi, Feb 14 (UNI) The BJP today expressed concern about the efforts of the UPA Government to damage the autonomy of the constitutional bodies like Election Commission and said nothing should be done to undermine the value of the institution.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said Law Minister H R Bhardwaj was speaking about changing the structure of the Election Commission while the reports of dissent within the EC on several important decisions were agog. Tinkering with the autonomy of the EC is not in the interest of the Commission which has the onerous task of conducting free and fair elections of the world's largest democracy.

He said 'double standards' of the EC towards the same offence, be it 'maut ka saudagar' controversy involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi or Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi statement defending harsh actions against terrorists did not go well because Ms Gandhi was let off lightly with a warning while strong comments were made against Mr Modi for the same offence.

He said the EC has to be politically detatched and maintain equal distance with all political parties. If the practice of appointing partisan persons as Election Commissioners become a precedent, it would tempt future governments to pack the EC with their own 'servile sycophants' for the job, he remarked.

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