Govt disapproves of CEC's recommendation on Chawla

"Executive is also a constitutional authority ... If some constitutional authority attempts to transgress jurisdiction of another constitutional authority, Executive will have to say something," EAM Pranab Mukherjee said.

The government on Wednesday sought to disapprove of Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami's recommendation for removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla.

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"Executive is also a constitutional authority ... If some constitutional authority attempts to transgress jurisdiction of another constitutional authority, Executive will have to say something," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Lok Sabha.

Winding up a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address, Mukherjee said there were constitutional authorities like Election Commission, Supreme Court and Comptroller and Auditor General and "similarly CEC".

His remark came close on the heels of the row in the Election Commission following the CEC's recommendation to the President for removal of Chawla whom he accused of being partisan.

Gopalaswami's recommendation has come under attack from Congress as also several other parties, while main Opposition BJP has come out in its support.