The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Wednesday called for an immediate all-party meeting to discuss reports of differences emerging within the Election Commission, saying the issue concerns the constitutional rights of every citizen and should not be treated as a political matter.
"If the system itself is going to collapse, whom should we trust?" Sule said while talking to reporters in Delhi, when asked about reports of differences within the poll body.
She said the matter was "very, very serious" and required an open discussion involving all political parties.
"This is not merely a political issue. It concerns the rights of every citizen of the country. It has now become a national issue," Sule said.
She said the allegations should be discussed openly to establish whether there was any substance in them.
Asked if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should "step aside", Sule said there should be an open discussion on whether the allegations are true.
Sule described as “extremely worrisome” claims that the two election commissioners objected to several decisions taken by the poll body allegedly without their knowledge.
“If the system is going to collapse, then who we should trust in this country,” the Lok Sabha member from Baramati constituency in western Maharashtra said.
She referred to a media report, which claimed that the two election commissioners objected to the Election Commission's steps 14 times in 10 months amid the SIR rollout, and alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar has "destroyed" the credibility of the poll panel.
(With inputs from PTI)