Guwahati, Sep 25 (IANS) :Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday took a swipe at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) regarding the body’s 48-hour resignation ultimatum to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Chief Minister Sarma told reporters here, “There is no point in demanding a resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar within 48 hours by the CJP. This is a laughable remark. The CJP can demand resignation of any individual like tomorrow they may ask about my resignation too. But of course, I will not respond.”
The Chief Minister however said that the CJP can raise objections on any matter but seeking resignations of persons from a Constitutional post does not hold any water.
Chief Minister Sarma earlier also added that the Election Commission of India (ECI) functions collectively and that decisions cannot be taken simply by one individual Commissioner acting alone.
His remarks came a day after the CJP demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours and threatened to launch a nationwide agitation, including what it described as “Jantar Mantar 2.0”, if the demand was not met.
The CJP has raised allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The organisation has also demanded that upcoming elections be frozen and that the SIR process be rolled back to its earlier status.
Chief Minister Sarma said the CEC cannot independently take decisions by disregarding the other Election Commissioners, stressing that decisions are taken collectively through the Commission.
The issue follows reports of differences within the Election Commission over certain decisions linked to the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission has said that decisions relating to the revision process were taken unanimously, while media reports have cited objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on several occasions.
The CJP, meanwhile, has said it would begin protests across the country if CEC Gyanesh Kumar does not resign within the stipulated 48 hours.
Chief Minister Sarma’s comments come amid an intensifying political debate over electoral rolls, the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
The Chief Minister said the Election Commission’s decisions should be viewed in the context of its collective institutional functioning rather than being attributed solely to the CEC.
