MLAs’ disqualification is EC chief’s gift to PM: AAP

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 20

The Election Commission's recommendation to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs is clearly an attempt to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is a gift to him by the Chief Election Commissioner, Achal Kumar Jyoti, said AAP’s state unit convenor Gopal Rai.

When Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat, Jyoti was his Principal Secretary. In bureaucracy he is known to be one of the closest aides of Modi. The disqualification of AAP MLAs by Joti, only three days before his retirement, is a gift from him to PM, Rai said.

“The CEC has misused the powers of his office by taking a partisan stand in this case,” he said.

Addressing a press conference, Rai said, “Even under the oppressive British rule, no matter was decided without hearing both sides. 

But in the present day Modi-raj the CEC has passed an adverse order against the AAP MLAs without giving them a single opportunity to present their arguments in their defence.”

After the last communication of the Election Commission on June 23, 2017, which said the MLAs would be called by the Commission to hear their case, no communication was received by any of the MLA. Even as they awaited the EC’s invitation, the Commission pronounced a unilateral decision disqualifying all the MLAs.

The action has been taken despite the fact that the order of appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries issued by the Delhi Assembly clearly stated that none of the MLAs would be entitled to any pecuniary benefits or government perks of any kind. 

On the other hand, Parliamentary Secretaries appointed by the Congress and BJP governments in other states receive heavy pay checks, government accommodations and vehicles, among other perks, he said.

The AAP leader said complaints had been filed against those MLAs as well, but neither the President nor the EC has taken any action against them so far. The AAP is being singled out despite there being no evidence of wrong-doing on its part.

Giving details of Parliamentary Secretaries in the Congress and BJP-ruled states, Rai said Punjab had 24 Parliamentary Secretaries with Rs 40, 000 salary per month, Haryana four Parliamentary Secretaries with Rs 50,000 salary, Himachal Pradesh two Parliamentary Secretaries with Rs 65,000, Rajasthan five Parliamentary Secretaries with Rs 27,000, Gujarat five Parliamentary Secretaries with Rs 27,000 salary per month, Chhattisgarh 11 Parliamentary Secretaries, Manipur five Parliamentary Secretaries, Arunachal Pradesh 15 Parliamentary Secretaries, Meghalaya 18 Parliamentary Secretaries, Nagaland 24 Parliamentary Secretaries.