West Bengal Advocate General Bimal Chatterjee's remark in the Calcutta High Court likening the State Election Commission to a beautiful women today generated controversy, with Congress demanding his resignation.
"One after the other, like a beautiful lady, demands are being made by the Commission," Chatterjee said in the court.
He later sought to clarify that his remark was aimed at the institution and not at State Election Commissioner Mira Pandey.
"Commission is an institution and I have referred to the institution, not the commissioner. She (Pandey) is most respectable," he said.
"According to the government, the commission has been arbitrary and whimsical in the manner of its demands and changing these from time to time," Chatterjee said.
The advocate general's comment came at a time when the commission is at loggerheads with the state government over several issues on holding of panchayat elections in the state and legal battles being fought between the two in the high court.
Opposition Congress demanded Chatterjee's resignation claiming that his remark was insulting to women.
"We demand his resignation for the insulting and uncalled for remark," WBPCC president Pradip Bhattacharjee said.
He said people of the state would not take the AG's remark lightly.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, a senior advocate, said, "It is unbecoming of an Advocate General to make such a comment in a court room.
