‘Have only said what was in Cong manifesto’

NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence on the ongoing controversy regarding the minority reservation issue, Law Minister Salman Khurshid said on Sunday evening that the Election Commission was entitled to petition the President. The Union Law Minister argued that his controversial comments on quota for minorities was an issue of governance and did not relate to polls even as the Congress virtually disapproved of the statement. The issue has nothing to do with elections and it’s an issue of governance, Khurshid said about his comments on sub quota for Muslims made during poll campaign. Khurshid told reporters he has only said what is there in the Congress manifesto and that the Election Commission is perfectly entitled to do what it wanted. Khurshid also said there may be different points of view but there are no differences. The Congress while distancing itself from Khurshid’s remarks said the party always wants its leaders to speak as per the norms of public life and law of the land. “The Election Commission is a constitutional body. Congress always wants that all Congressmen should speak as per the norms of public life and the law of the land,” AICC General Secretary and media department Chairman Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement. The deadlock between the Constitutional authority and the Law Minister is being seen as unprecedented in the political circles. Khurshid has taken the EC head-on and seems to be in no mood to relent. Earlier today in the day, the Law Minister had refused to comment on Election Commission’s move seeking “immediate and decisive” intervention of President Pratibha Patil. “I will not talk to anyone... When I have to say something I say it,” Khurshid told reporters when asked about the EC’s yesterday’s recommendation. The EC had had last night sought the intervention of the President after it charged Khurshid with “improper and unlawful” defi ance of its orders under which he was censured for promising sub-quota for minorities. In a strongly-worded communication to Patil, the Commission had said Khurshid’s action could “vitiate free and fair polls” in Uttar Pradesh and that the EC was “perturbed because the undermining of its constitutionally- mandated duties has come from the Law Minister who has direct responsibility to uphold and strengthen the EC rather than to denigrate it”. The Commission took the unprecedented decision to complain against a union minister to the President after Khurshid had told an election rally in UP on Friday night that he would continue to pursue the line on nine percent sub-quota for minorities ‘even if they (EC) hang me’. Khurshid had earlier been censured for the same statement made on January 8 while campaigning in UP, with EC holding it as violative of the Model Code of Conduct. The Opposition has been gunning for Salman Khurshid’s neck ever since the controversy broke out saying that his continuance as the Law Minister had become untenable. The BJP called for immediate ‘sacking’ of the senior Congress leader as a Cabinet minister.