Minority quota: Salman Khurshid writes back to Election Commission

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Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who was under fire from Election Commission over the issue of minority quota, wrote back, said Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi.

The minister reportedly told the election body that he respects the institution and also the Election Commission for the decision it takes.

He also termed the entire controversy ‘unfortunate’ as the minority quota was a manifesto issue, in his letter.

Action less likely against Khurshid

Meanwhile, action against the minister as demanded by the Election Commission for his defiance on the subquota issue appears unlikely.

The talk in Congress circles is that Khurshid could issue a statement signalling that he had no intention to hurt the Election Commission, which the party hopes can lead to a closure of the issue.

Indications to this effect were available at the AICC briefing when party spokesperson Manish Tewari sought to downplay the controversy insisting that the model code of conduct was an issue between political parties and the Election Commission.

"The model code of conduct is a voluntary compact arrived between political parties and the Election Commission and it has no statutory binding...," party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.

"Don't try and stretch it too far," he said when suggested whether the censure of Khurshid by the Election Commission should lead to the resignation by the Union Minister.

Asked whether someone will have to go home after this controversy, Tewari said that in a jest ‘all of us have to go home at night’.

Tewari dismissed the contention that the party was speaking in different voices on the matter as a number of leaders and ministers said Khurshid did no wrong.

"Nobody is double-speaking or triple-speaking unless you go on hair-splitting," Tewari said.