By IANS,
Varanasi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s resignation in the wake of the poll panel writing to the president over his defiant stand on a quota for backward Muslims in Uttar Pradesh despite its censure.
“PM should take action against Salman Khurshid without losing any time. He should seek his resignation immediately,” BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters here.
“If he doesn’t quit then he should be sacked. PM should ask the president to sack him,” she said.
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi Saturday wrote a strongly-worded letter to President Pratibha Patil, saying the poll panel found the tone and tenor of the union minister’s latest remarks “utterly contemptuous about the commission’s lawful direction to him”.
The poll panel had censured Khurshid Thursday over his promise for nine percent quota for minorities including backward Muslims from the 27 percent Other Backward Class quota if Congress is voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.
Khurshid triggered a fresh controversy Friday evening with his remarks that he will ensure rights to “pasmanda (backward Muslims)” even if he is “hanged” by the poll panel.