‘Dark day for democracy’: Congress on Ashok Lavasa opting out of EC meets

New Delhi, May 18: The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Modi government over Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa recusing himself from EC meetings to discuss poll code violations, saying erosion of institutional integrity is the hallmark of the present dispensation.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala cited a media report which claimed Lavasa, who disagreed with the poll panel's decisions to clear Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of charges of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), has since May 4 recused himself from all meetings to discuss MCC issues. Lavasa has reportedly insisted that he will do so only after dissent notes and minority decisions are included in the orders of the commission.

"The Election Commission or Election Omission! Another Dark Day for Democracy!" Surjewala tweeted, tagging the media report. "Sh Ashok Lavasa, Member CEC, who dissented on multiple occasions when EC was busy giving clean chits to Modi-Shah duo, opts out of EC as the ECI even refuse to record dissent notes," he said.

Erosion of institutional integrity is the hallmark of the Modi government, Surjewala alleged. "SC Judges going public, RBI Governor's resigning, CBI Director getting removed, CVC giving vacuous reports, Now dividing Election Commission!" the Congress leader said in another tweet. Will EC save the embarrassment by recording Lavasa's dissent notes, he asked.

PTI