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‘Govt of, for and by the people’: BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi on protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
The ex-BJP national president declined to take sides but said constitutional principles should be adhered to.
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Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former union minister Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday waded into the controversy set off by the opposition’s allegations that the Election Commission of India is being influenced by the ruling party.
Speaking at the sidelines of the 21st FICCI Higher Education Summit in New Delhi, the ex-BJP national president declined to take sides but said constitutional principles should be adhered to.
Responding to a question on the Opposition’s ongoing protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Joshi said, "...I always say the government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth. (Abraham) Lincoln said this almost 200 years ago. Now I say that the government of the people, for the people and by the people shall not perish from the earth, provided the elections are fair, governments are accountable, the bureaucracy is transparent, the Opposition is responsive and responsible, and there is a clear-cut alternative programme.”
Joshi, who has in the past supported the students’ protest against paper leaks and other examination irregularities, went on to say, “...The whole thing has to be done within the ambit of the Constitution, and if the Constitution is violated, then the Supreme Court should look into it. That is the principle on which democracy should work."
What has Murli Manohar Joshi said in the past?
In July, Murli Manohar Joshi expressed concern over the treatment of students protesting in New Delhi during the stir against NEET irregularities, saying their grievances over the examination system were ‘genuine’ and should not be reduced to a ‘law-and-order issue’.
In a post on X, Joshi said it was "painful" to see students from different parts of the country camping on the streets of the national capital for days, urging the authorities to address their concerns with empathy and work towards a lasting solution.
"It is painful to see young students from different parts of the country assembled for days on the streets of New Delhi. Their anxieties and concerns regarding the examination system are genuine and must be handled with empathy and a desire to find a lasting solution," he wrote.
The senior BJP leader also cautioned against the use of force to disperse the protesters, saying he hoped the situation would not be treated merely as a law-and-order problem.
"I fervently hope that this is not treated merely as a law-and-order issue to be tackled through the use of force. It is very painful to see that even young girls were brutally mishandled," Joshi said.
Warning that such action could have wider consequences, he added, "Such use of force shall alienate large sections of Indian society from the national goal of Viksit Bharat."
