Rahul Gandhi slams PM, HM for midnight decision on new CEC appointment

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the prime minister and home minister for making a midnight decision to appoint the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), calling it "disrespectful" and "discourteous," especially when the selection process is being challenged in the Supreme Court.

The government announced the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new CEC late on Monday, just hours after a meeting of the prime minister-led selection committee. During the meeting, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha urged the government to postpone the decision, considering the Supreme Court is set to hear the matter soon. Gandhi presented a dissent note to the panel, which included Home Minister Amit Shah as a member.

"During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM that stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner," Gandhi stated in a post on X.

He further remarked, "By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi Government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process," sharing his dissent note alongside.

Gandhi emphasised his role as the Leader of the Opposition, stating that he was committed to upholding the principles of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the nation's founding leaders by holding the government accountable.

"It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours," he added.