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Rediff.com  » Election » Gopalaswami defends not resigning over Chawla issue

Gopalaswami defends not resigning over Chawla issue

Source: PTI
April 21, 2009 17:41 IST
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Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami on Tuesday said he did not resign when his recommendation for removal of colleague Navin Chawla was rejected as he was only doing his duty.

Gopalaswami, who demitted office as the CEC on Monday, said he had no personal enmity and was just doing his duty as a professional when he made his recommendation on Chawla was rejected by the President.

"We send thousand of files during our tenure (for recommendations) to several people. Some get accepted and some don't get accepted. If you want the officials to simply resign just because their recommendations have not been accepted you will have not one secretary left in the office. They all will have to go," he said when asked why he did not quit when his recommendation for removal of Chawla were not accepted.

"You see, you do your job and leave the others to do their job. I don't think there should be any conflict in that. If you want to keep your sanity, then you follow one rule. Do your duty and never think that other's duty is your right. You do your job. Attitude lies in work," he told members of the Indian Women's Press Corps in New Delhi at a function.

Gopalaswami, in late January, had recommended the removal of the EC on a petition by the BJP which had accused him of "partisan" functioning. On the issue of Varun Gandhi's hate speech and allegations that the EC has been overstepping its limits, he said, "If you do something, you say you are overdoing it and if you do not do anything you say you are not doing anything."

To allegations that he was targeting the Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi during his tenure when he issued three notices in separate cases against her, Gopalaswami said, "It is all absurd and the action has been taken on the basis of complaints received by the Commission."

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