External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid's comments in London in which he is said to have questioned the role of Supreme Court and Election Commission have drawn flak in various quarters here.
Reacting to the issue, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said that the comments had been made out of desperation.
"Khurshid's diatribe against Election Commission is nothing but their (Congress's) desperation. His other senior colleagues are opting out of the election race.
"Khurshid has not opted out, but is sure to lose; therefore, he is now blaming it not on Congress but on Election Commission," he said.
Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said that Khurshid's criticism was unfair.
"I think in criticising Supreme Court, he has picked on the issue of SC deciding what will go into the affidavit. I think that is totally uncalled for because, after all, Supreme Court is only trying to help the voter to understand what are the credentials of the candidates," he said.
CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu said it was important to remember that the Model Code of Conduct had resulted not because of any legislation but was based on a consensus between political parties.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the party considered the Model Code of Conduct as well as the orders of Election Commission to be the law and followed the same religiously.
Khurshid reportedly questioned the role of Supreme Court and Election Commission while mocking them in his comments during a speech on the 'Challenges of Democracy in India' at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.
In an apparent reference to the Supreme Court judgement disqualifying convicted lawmakers, Khurshid said it was "a judge-made law".
He was also reported as having remarked that the "broad philosophical approach" of Election Commission guidelines seemed to be that "you should do or say nothing that wins you an election".
