Unlike Congress, BJP doesn’t interfere in working of the Election Commission, says Jitendra Singh

Jitendra Singh said the Congress had established a new norm of using the Election Commission and the CBI to serve its political interests when they were in power. File Photo

Lashing out at former Union Minister P Chidambaram for accusing the government of influencing the Election Commission, Minister of State and BJP’s election co-incharge for Gujarat Dr Jitendra Singh said on Friday that unlike Congress, the BJP doesn’t interfere in the working of the election body.

On Friday, Chidambaram had criticised the Election Commission, saying that by not announcing the Gujarat poll schedule, it had “authorised” Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the dates at his last rally, after all “freebies” for the state were doled out.

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Speaking at the sidelines of a function to mark the release of a short film ‘Muntazar’ by the J&K social welfare department, Singh said all the constitutional bodies, including the Election Commission, had enjoyed absolute freedom and autonomy without any interference since the day the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014.

“Chidambaram and other Congress leaders are talking from their own experience of 50 years when the party had established a new norm of using constitutional bodies, including the Election Commission, and the CBI to serve its political interests,” Singh said. “The credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having restored back the sanctity, propriety, independence and constitutional status of Election Commission and other such bodies,” he added.

The minister of state also lauded the troops deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, saying they were capable of dealing with any security threat. “The troops deployed along the International Border and the Line of Control are effectively dealing with infiltration and terrorist-related incidents,” he said. He also praised the J&K Police for its “excellent role” in fighting terrorists.

Speaking at the function, Singh called for a healthy synergy between the youth and the elders for a harmonious and faster assent of India in the global arena. “The reality of India in 2017 is that on one hand, we have 70 per cent of the population below the age of 40 years, and on the other hand, the 30 per cent of population in the higher age group is many times more than what it was 50 years ago,” he said.

The minister said for any future programme to be successful, the government would have to identify with the aspirations of the youth and also enjoy their trust and faith. “On the other hand, most of the superannuating citizens are now retiring in the prime of their physical fitness, when they can offer the benefits of their energy, experience and expertise,” he said, while referring to the various measures taken by the government to ensure that these people continue to contribute constructively even after their retirement.