The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday reacted strongly to the United Progressive Alliance government's plans to grant equal powers to all three Election Commissioners, dubbing it a 'blatant subversion of the Constitution' to save Navin Chawla 'who is so close to the Congress'.
The party, which has demanded the removal of Chawla, said it will oppose the government's plans to amend the Constitution 'tooth and nail' and asked whether the UPA allies also favoured such a move to protect an Election Commissioner 'who lacks fairness'.
"Now it is evident that Navin Chawla is so close to the Congress that it can go even to the extent of amending the Constitution to save him. The BJP will oppose it tooth and nail," party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
His reaction came soon after law and justice minister H R Bhardwaj said the government is considering a proposal to amend the Constitution for granting equal powers to all the three members of the Election Commission.
"We would like to remind the law minister that this is the India of 2008 and not the India of 1975 when during emergency days the Constitution could be amended at the drop of a hat," Prasad said.
Pointing out that the BJP and the NDA are important poles of Indian polity, he said, "We would like to remind Mr Bharadwaj that he is not the law minister of a government with 400-plus seats like that of Rajiv Gandhi".
He sought to know "whether the UPA allies also favour this blatant subversion of the Constitution to save one Election Commissioner who lacks fairness".
