Narayanasamy refrains from commenting on Khurshid-EC row

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy today refrained from making any comments on the Election Commission’s stand on the controversial statements of Law Minister Salman Khurshid. “Two constitutional bodies –Honourable President’s office and the Election Commission –both are seized of the matter and, therefore, I don’t want to make any comment on that,” he told reporters after inaugurating first interpol global programme on anti-corruption and asset recovery. [caption id=“attachment_211255” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“PTI”] [/caption] On the question of bringing CBI under the ambit of proposed anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, the Minister assured the agency that its independence would be maintained. “As far as the CBI is concerned, I today told the CBI Director and his team that it is the prime independent agency in this country…the work they are doing as an independent anti-corruption body, the independence of that organisation, that separate identity will be maintained,” he said. The Minister said the government is studying the amendments proposed by the political parties on the issue of Lokpal and a decision on them would be taken soon. “Lokpal and Lokayukta both are pending before Rajya Sabha. More than 187 amendments have been given by various political parties. The honourable Prime Minister, our government, is seized of the matter and we are looking at the amendments and we will decide on the amendments within short period of time,” he said. PTI