Chennai, Oct 15 The Left parties on Thursday demanded accountability over the alleged manipulation of voters’ rolls during the SIR exercise and sought the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the EC has become a puppet of the ruling party at the Centre.
Speaking at the INDIA Bloc protest condemning the “murder of democracy”, CPI (M) state secretary P Shanmugam condemned the government’s action against student and youth protesters in Delhi in this issue, and emphasised that protesting is a constitutional right. He criticises the police and paramilitary forces for their crackdown on those fighting for democratic values and voting rights.
Shanmugam called for the immediate removal of the CEC, alleging that the Election Commission has become “a puppet” in the hands of the ruling party.
He claimed that 13.5 crore voters have been removed from the electoral rolls, and argued that this was a systematic move to disenfranchise specific groups, including Muslims and marginalised communities, under the guise of removing ineligible voters.
He urged the INDIA bloc and the public in Tamil Nadu to join the protest movement and advocated for statewide demonstrations to show solidarity with the students in Delhi and to safeguard the democratic principle of “one person, one vote”.
CPI state secretary M Veerapandian urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to raise his voice against the “injustice”, emphasising that the chief minister served as the face of the Tamil people and held the influence necessary to advocate for change.
He called for political action while crediting leaders like Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Nehru for these foundational values.
Veerapandian expressed disappointment with the judiciary, specifically referencing a case where the Supreme Court allegedly focused on minor clerical errors instead of addressing the serious concerns regarding voter disenfranchisement.
(PTI News)
