BJP turning a deaf ear to struggles of backward classes: Rahul in J’khand
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the BJP of turning a deaf ear to the struggles of backward classes.
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.
The Bill seeks to regulate the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and two election commissioners (ECs).
The Bill, which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha, retained the status of ECs on par with that of the Supreme Court judges.
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Now, the CEC and two ECs will be appointed by a three-member selection committee comprising the prime minister, leader of opposition and a Cabinet minister, effectively giving control of their appointment to the government.
Earlier, the selection panel to appoint these officials included Chief Justice of India in place of the Cabinet minister.
The Bill was passed without any substantial debate due to the absence of most of the Opposition MPs who have been suspended from the Lok Sabha for protesting against the December 13 security breach incident.
The opposition has claimed that the mass suspension of MPs was the government’s plot to pass key bills without any discussion.
The Lower House had on Wednesday passed three criminal code bills that seek to replace the existing colonial-era criminal laws in the country.
The opposition parties have raised objections to several provisions of the new bills, with some experts calling them more draconian than the British-era legislations.
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