Saturday, April 8 2006 11:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Vadodara: Stepping up the campaign against Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, Leader of Opposition L K Advani today (Apr 8, 2006) said the Attorney General's 'clearance' to him is a 'technicality' and that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should refer to the CEC the memorandum by NDA MPs demanding his removal from the constitutional post.

"This is not a matter of legality but propriety. The question is whether his (Chawla's) background and antecedents make him fit to hold a constitutional position where objectivity and non-partisanship are principal touchstones," Advani told a press conference here on the third day of his 6,000 km long 'Bharat Suraksha Yatra'.

Maintaining that as per Constitution only the Chief Election Commissioner had the authority to examine allegations against Chawla and the UPA Government had no role in it, the BJP leader said President A P J Abdul Kalam might be approached for the third time on the issue.

"The Shah Commission appointed by the Janata Party Government had indicted him (Chawla) and made serious allegations against him. He should not have been appointed in the first place as per Constitutional provisions. Neither the Government nor the Attorney General has any role to play in this regard," Advani added.

Attacking Singh, he said the memorandum against Chawla signed by 205 party MPs was forwarded by Kalam to the Prime Minister on March 20 but the latter decided to take the advice of the Attorney General instead of sending it to the CEC.