பெல்ஜியத்துக்கு விசுவாசமாக இருப்பேன் என்று எழுதிக்கொடுத்ததால், சோனியா காந்திக்கு நோட்டீஸ்

சோனியா காந்திக்கு பெல்ஜியம் அவார்ட் கொடுத்தபோது அந்த அவார்டை பெற்றுக்கொள்ளும்போது, பெல்ஜியத்துக்கு விசுவாசமாக இருப்பேன் என்று எழுதிக்கொடுத்திருக்கிறார்.

இவ்வாறு வெளிநாட்டுக்கு விசுவாசமாக இருப்பேன் என்று எழுதிக்கொடுத்தவர் எம்பி பதவியில் நீடிக்கலாமா என்று கேட்டு ஒரு கேரள வக்கீல் நோட்டீஸ் அனுப்பினார். அதனை அன்றைய ஜனாதிபதி அப்துல்கலாம் அவர்கள் எலக்ஸன் கமிஷனுக்கு அனுப்பியது இப்போதுதான் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டு சோனியா காந்திக்கு நோட்டீஸ் போயிருக்கிறது.

Sonia served notice over "allegiance" to Belgium
Bhupendra Chaubey / CNN-IBN
Published on Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 08:45 in Nation section

FOREIGN MATTERS: The award - Order of Leopold - has the rider that Sonia had to sign her allegiance to Belgium.



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New Delhi: On Monday, CNN-IBN had reported how the Election Commission of India was divided over issuing a notice to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.


Chief election commissioner Gopalswamy and his two fellow commissioners, who are responsible for maintaining the spirit of democracy, had an intense debate among themselves before finally deciding to serve a notice to Sonia.


The notice is for accepting the Belgium's highest civilian award, the Order of Leopold, in November 2006.


While the award was – in and by itself – perfectly innocuous, it was the rider with it that the EC objects to – Sonia Gandhi had to sign her allegiance to the Belgian government.

This matter was raised when a complaint from a Kerala-based lawyer to former President A P J Abdul Kalam had ended up getting forwarded to the Election Commission. A series of meetings had led only to an acrimonious debate and no results.





The Chief Election Commissioner is believed to be the one in favour of serving the notice. While one of his deputies supported him, the other, Naveen Chawla, felt the issue was too frivolous.


Chawla’s contention is that the award had been given to statesmen like former US President Eisenhower and Yugoslav leader Joseph Tito.


The Congress is dismissive of the issue.


"The argument is ridiculous," stated Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.


Ever since Naveen Chawla took over as the election commissioner, there have been several instances where the chief election commissioner and Mr Chawla have not seen eye to eye with each other, whether its issuing a Notice to Sonia or deciding when the Karnataka elections should be held.


Over the past year, the BJP has questioned the Election Commission's neutrality on many occasions. The fractured verdict on serving a notice to Sonia will only give further ammunition for the Opposition.


With inputs by Achyuth Punnekat