Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS) The Congress said Tuesday that the row between Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Election Commission on minority sub quota should be treated as over as the minister had regretted his remarks to the poll panel.

Party spokesperson Manish Tewari said it was better to treat the matter as closed.
“Salman Khurshid has presented his viewpoint before the Election Commission. It’s better to put a full stop to this incident now,” Tewari said.

Khurshid said in his letter that it was never been his intention to transgress the law or the model code of conduct. “I have great respect for the commission and the decisions it takes and has taken,” he said.

Highly placed sources in the poll panel said the case will be decided by the Commission only after word from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“The fact is the Election Commission censured Khurshid for his speech. It then formally wrote to the president and the president forwarded the complaint to the prime minister,” a senior official privy to the developments said.

The Election Commission had censured Khurshid for his speech regarding nine percent job quotas for minorities last week after his speech at Farrukhabad, where his wife Louise Khurshid is the Congress candidate in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Even after the commission, following complaints from the opposition parties, censured Khurshid for the speech, the minister stood by the statement and said he was ready to be hanged for it.

The Election Commission then wrote to President Pratibha Patil that the tone and tenor of the minister was utterly contemptuous.

The president forwarded the letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.