Transparency Debate: Assam CM vs Rahul Gandhi on Election Commissioner Appointments

Assam CM Hemanta Biswa Sarma criticizes Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's call for transparent selection of Election Commissioners, highlighting past opaque practices during Congress rule. Rahul Gandhi questions the Modi government's removal of the Chief Justice from the selection committee, terming it a strategic move.

Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma launched a scathing critique of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, regarding his advocacy for including the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the body responsible for appointing Election Commissioners. Sarma branded Gandhi's call ironic, recalling how the Congress party, during its tenure, made such appointments with scant transparency.

Sarma further accused Congress of hypocrisy, asserting that the party's newfound transparency rhetoric rings hollow given its historical governance track record. He challenged Rahul Gandhi to explain why reform efforts weren't pursued when Congress had the power. "If Congress genuinely valued democratic integrity, these reforms should have been enacted during their long tenure," Sarma remarked.

Meanwhile, in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Modi administration, labeling the exclusion of the CJI from the selection committee as a deliberate strategy. Gandhi noted that Election Commission roles, previously decided upon by a panel including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the CJI, were now managed without judicial input, a shift sanctioned by the new 2023 Act.