New Delhi, September 29
No matter how surprising Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s outburst against the government ordinance on convicted lawmakers may seem, the reality is the view he expressed on Friday was the original party stand on the controversial issue.

The stand was later dropped upon the advice of some government ministers who argued during consultations with the party on electoral reforms that an anti-lawmakers’ view could isolate the Congress when a majority political parties wanted protection of convicted MPs from immediate disqualification from Parliament.

Sources have told The Tribune that the six-member Electoral Reform Committee, formed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on January 31 to formulate party’s stand on electoral reforms, in its report submitted to her recently recommended what the apex court had said on July 10 about convicted MPs.

“The committee’s recommendation was on the same lines as SC’s,” a party source said.

Enquiries reveal that though the official report contains 31 suggestions, including this one, the final report sent by the party to the Law Commission contains only 30, dropping the vital recommendation.

Sources say the suggestion, which both Rahul and Sonia had supported, was deleted from the final report on a firm advice of “some government ministers” who felt “anti-lawmakers’ stand would isolate the party”.

The Congress sent the report to the commission on August 5, ahead of the August 13 all-party meeting held by the government to seek views of all political parties on the controversial SC directive ordering instant disqualification of MPs on conviction by trial court in cases with punishment of more than two years.

The suggestion on convicted MPs, though deleted from Congress’ official report to the Law Commission, is still part of the original report on electoral reforms with Sonia, revealing a deep disconnect on the issue between the party and the government.

The panel was set up at Rahul’s behest immediately after he became party vice-president earlier this year.

He got his mentor Mohan Gopal (Director, Rajeev Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies) nominated to the committee headed by former I&B Minister Ambika Soni (now general secretary in-charge of Sonia’s office) with Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, former Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill and senior Congress leaders Manishankar Aiyar and EMS Natchiappan as members. Gopal did the entire drafting as secretary to the committee.

It was formed to finalise Congress’ view on the “Consultation Paper on Electoral Reforms” that the Law Commission circulated to political parties and MPs earlier this year towards the process of finalising an electoral reform Bill. The Congress is the only party to have responded to the Law Commission, which had set a July-31 deadline.