“My lord, save our country,” Mamata Banerjee slams Centre’s decision to remove CJI from EC selection panel, questions if the BJP is aiming to replace Judiciary with a kangaroo court

“BJP has bowed down before anarchy,” in a scathing attack Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has questioned the intention behind the Centre’s decision to remove the Chief Justice Of India from the panel that has been constituted to select CEC and election commissioners.

In March 2023, the Apex Court formed a selection panel headed by the Prime Minister and also comprised the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and the CJI. This amidst opposition chorus questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission in India. On Thursday, the Union Government introduced a Bill in Rajya Sabha to remove the CJI and replace him with a cabinet minister selected by the PM. Mamat​a Banerjee called it the desperation of the BJP trying to manipulate votes and elections.

“Amidst calls to bow down to the judiciary, the @BJP4India instead bows to anarchy! The CJI's role in the 3-member committee for selecting the CEC is crucial. We strongly oppose replacing the CJI with a cabinet minister in the EC selection. The discomfort suggests their vote manipulation could suffer. India must question this blatant disregard for the judiciary! Are they aiming to turn the Judiciary into a minister-run kangaroo court? We pray to the JUDICIARY for INDIA. My lord, save our country!” Mamata Banerjee wrote on social media.

Earlier in the day, before her remarks came, PM Modi during a virtual address to BJP Bengal workers had accused TMC of running a bloody show in the name of politics. BJP had won 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 but two years later, in the 2021 assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee returned to power for the third consecutive time after defeating the BJP and its aggressive campaigning led by PM Modi. Bengal had witnessed 8 phase election then, for the first time. Mamata Banerjee and TMC had alleged the election was designed by ECI in order to favour BJP and PM Modi’s campaigning schedule.