Want Congressmen to speak as per law: Cong

"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 told PTI. This is the first official reaction of the Congress party on the controversy.

Dwivedi`s reply came in response to a question on the controversy surrounding Khurshid`s statement at Farrukhabad yesterday which prompted the Commission to write a strong letter to President Pratibha Patil seeking her "immediate and decisive" intervention.

Acting swiftly on the EC complaint, Patil last night sent the missive to the office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "appropriate action".

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded dismissal of Khurshid as the Law Minister for acting against the Constitution. "We request the President to withdraw her pleasure and dismiss Salman Khurshid as a Minister of the Union Cabinet for acting against the law and the Constitution," she tweeted.

While defending Khurshid, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said every political party has the right to talk about their programmes during election campaigns and it was not correct to press charges like these against political leaders.

"With great humility, I would like to ask the EC that if political outfits are not allowed to speak about their agenda, then the party manifesto should also be stopped," he said.

The EC action came after Khurshid had told a rally that he will continue to ensure reservation for backward Muslims even if the Commission "hangs" him. EC had earlier censured him for his statement promising nine per cent sub-quota for backward Muslims during campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad felt that an "unprecedented constitutional crisis-like situation has emerged" as the question is not about elections but that of the credibility of constitutional bodies like the EC which has a special status.

"Will the honourable Prime Minister at least take action or maintain his convention of inaction? Will Shrimati Sonia Gandhi speak something or maintain her conspicuous silence...Otherwise the nation will presume that all of them have same sentiments about what Khurshid (stated)...," he told NDTV.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said if the government does not remove Khurshid, then "we will consider that this (Khurshid`s remarks) is a collective statement of the Congress."

Supporting the EC`s move against the Law Minister, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Commission has the complete right to implement code of conduct in case of any violation.

JD-U president Sharad Yadav maintained that the Law Minister has a "politically-driven agenda" and demanded that the Prime Minister should "ban" him in Uttar Pradesh as he was trying to "desperately" get votes.

"He is talking about nine per cent reservation. Even if he turns things upside down, it will not happen. Only Lok Sabha can do something," the JD-U leader said.