New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday decided to close the Salman Khurshid chapter following expression of regret by the federal law minister.
The Election Commission had earlier reprimanded Khurshid for breaching the Model Code of Conduct and wrote a letter to the president when Khurshid persisted with his quota promise to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh which is under going elections.
Khurshid, who had remained defiant and unremorseful, expressed his regret in a letter wrote a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and said he had highest regard for the institution. The letter was delivered to the Election Commission office on late Monday night.
"I feel disturbed with the developments arising out of one of my statements made in the course of the election campaign. It has also caused me equal measure of sadness. It has never been my 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. I take this matter as unfortunate and regret the statement," Khurshid wrote in his letter.
The federal law minister's decision to bow before the autonomous Election Commission came after he found himself isolated both in the Congress party and in the government and the demand from the opposition to sack him as a minister.
The Election Commission did not take kindly to Khurshid's open defiance even after the official reprimand when the minister dared it to hang him.
"If they (Election Commission) want to hang me they can, they can hang me for committing to people for a quota… We will change the fate of the poor, even if we have to go against EC…" Khurshid had said last week in one of his election rallies.
