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Khurshid undermining EC, Quraishi complains to PM

New Delhi, January 13
With Law Minister Salman Khurshid ruffling feathers by saying his ministry has administrative control over Election Commission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured the poll body that the government respects its constitutional status and functional autonomy.

Khurshid had recently said in a TV interview that the Law Ministry has control over the Election Commission to the extent that it signs documents related to travel of the Election Commissioners.

He was talking in the context of Team Anna's objection to the CBI being retained under government control under the Lokpal Bill when he said "every institution is under some control".

Taking strong exception to these comments, Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi complained to the Prime Minister that Khurshid had tried to undermine the authority of the Election Commission, a Constitutional body, EC sources said.

Writing back to Quraishi, the Prime Minister has said the government respects the Constitutional status and functional autonomy of the Election Commission, sources said. He assured the CEC that any apprehensions that the EC may have would be taken care of.

EC sources noted that the poll body was part of the government but Khurshid's statement had raised doubts.

Quraishi, when asked about the letter today, refused to discuss it but dismissed suggestions that it was getting personal between him and Khurshid. "It is a very ridiculous idea. We are friends otherwise, personally. It is just an institutional issue," he said.

This is the second time in recent days that Khurshid has drawn the EC's ire. The Commission had on Tuesday served a show-cause notice on the minister for promising 9% sub-quota for minorities in UP while campaigning for his wife Louise in Farrukhabad on Sunday. — PTI