Gopalswami, Chawla come together

Agencies

New Delhi: After the political storm created by Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalswami asking the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla for being close to Congress, both officials came together on one platform showing there was unity in the EC.

The occasion was a meeting convened by the EC to elicit views of national and state political parties before firming up the schedule for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Though no leader directly referred to the stand off after the CEC recommended removal of Chawla, some leaders mentioned it broadly in the meeting and suggested that the EC should not give an impression that it is divided as it would "dampen the spirit" of the polls.

CPI MP D Raja said the "neutrality, integrity and objectivity" of the constitutional body should be maintained and nothing should be done that will damage EC's reputation.
Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters after the meeting that Congress was protecting an individual while "we are protecting an institution".