The Congress today slammed the government over a meeting between top election officials and the Prime Minister's Office, alleging that it was treating the Election Commission as its "subservient tool".
Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the government has fallen to a new low in destroying institutions in the country.
Citing reports, including one by news agency Press Trust of India, that a Law Ministry official had sought the presence of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners at a meeting with the PM's Principal Secretary, the Congress leader said this "was unheard of in independent India".
"Cat is out of the bag! What was whispered till now is a fact. PMO summoning ECI was unheard of in independent India. Treating EC as a subservient tool is yet another low in Modi Government's record of destroying every institution," Mr Surjewala said on Twitter tagging an Indian Express news report in this regard.
The reports said the Chief Election Commissioner had reservations on a note from a Law Ministry official that the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, PK Mishra, will "chair a meeting" on a common electoral roll and "expects CEC" to be present, reported news agency Press Trust of India.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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