Is Salman Khurshid Playing Castism In Uttar Pradesh Elections?
Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid has defended himself by saying that his controversial comments on quota for minorities was an issue of governance and he did not made his comments doe to Uttar Pradesh elections.
Khurshid's remarks which led the Election Commission to censure him triggered a demand from BJP for his dismissal from the Cabinet with a comment that the "law minister has become the main law breaker" and that Congress was trying to "communalise" polls.
The issue has nothing to do with elections and it's an issue of governance, Khurshid said about his comments on sub-quota for Muslims during the campaign for the ongoing elections in Uttar Pradesh. Khurshid told reporters he has only said what is there in the Congress manifesto and that the Election Commission is perfectly entitled to what it has done.
The EC has taken some serious steps against Khurshid and has requested the intervention of President Pratibha Patil after it charged Khurshid with "improper and unlawful" defiance of its orders under which he was censured for promising sub-quota for minorities. The Congress while distancing itself from Khurshid's remarks said the party always wants its leaders to speak as per the norms of public life and law of the land.
"The Election Commission is a constitutional body. Congress always wants that all Congressmen should speak as per the norms of public life and the law of the land," AICC general secretary and media department chairman Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement.
When asked to comment on Dwivedi's remarks, Khurshid said ,"Hum bhi to yahi keh rahe hain...Sabko apne dayre me rahna chahiye", (I am saying the same thing...Everyone should remain in his limits".
However the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj of BJP demanded dismissal of Khurshid as the law minister for acting against the Constitution. He accused Khurshid of playing cast ism politics just to get few more votes in U.P Elections.
"We request the President to withdraw her pleasure and dismiss Salman Khurshid as a minister of the Cabinet for acting against the law and the Constitution," she tweeted.
"I have reason to believe it's a part of scripted conspiracy by Congress to communalise UP elections...the more it's done...you might save yourself from the utter disgrace," Jaitley said.
"It is my appeal to Prime Minister that such cheap tradition should not be set that during elections the Law Minister become the main law breaker," he said.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said if the government does not remove Khurshid, then "we will consider that this (Khurshid's remarks) is a collective statement of the Congress."
Supporting the EC's move against the Law Minister, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Commission has the complete right to implement code of conduct in case of any violation.
Salman Khursid has been facing some serious allegation of playing dirty in U.P Elections. He has been sidelined by the Congress party on this issue and EC has taken the matter to the President Office. It is quite contrary to the developent issue that Rahul Gandhi is raising in elections.
