BJP MP Varun Gandhi has called the Election Commission of India a toothless tiger. Speaking at an event on the topic of political reforms in India, the popular MP from Sultanpur said, “One of the biggest problem is the problem of the Election Commission which is really a toothless tiger.
Article 324 of the Indian Constitution says, EC controls & supervises elections, but does it really do that? l” EC doesn’t have the power to file cases once the election is over, it has to go to Supreme Court to do so.”
Varun also said that political parties spent a lot on poll campaign, denying opportunity to people from humble background to contest elections.
“Though all political parties file late returns, only one political party belonging to the late PA Sangma (NPP) was derecognised for not filing returns on time, and the commission revoked the same a day after it filed the expenditure report,” Varun told the audience in Hyderabad on Friday.
He added, “Technically, an MLA (candidate) can spend between Rs 20 and Rs 28 lakh and an MP (aspirant) Rs 54-Rs 70 lakh. But you are not told that political parties spend unlimited amounts on elections…It is a skewed form of political expenditure which ensures that no middle class or poor people can fight elections anymore.”
Varun’s observation will chime well with the sentiments of millions of Indians, who’ve been expressing similar apprehensions about the poll panel in India.
Varun’s comments also come only a day after the EC announced the schedule for Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, but did not postponed the announcement for Gujarat, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit on 16 October.
The Congress had slammed the EC for announcing the election schedule for Gujarat even though the counting here will take place on the same day Himachal.