Agartala, Oct 29 Tripura Assembly Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury on Friday alleged that constitutional institutions, including the EC, CBI and the judiciary, had been deliberately weakened during the 12-year rule of the Modi government.
Addressing an INDIA bloc rally here, Chaudhury accused the government of undermining the country’s democratic institutions to ensure electoral victories for the BJP-led NDA.
“Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah know they will not win even local body elections if elections are held freely, fairly and peacefully. That’s why they are trying to destroy constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission (EC), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the judiciary and have adopted the SIR process,” he said.
Accusing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of acting as a “thief of votes”, the CPI(M) state secretary dubbed the EC the “Thief Commission of India”.
“The INDIA bloc has been carrying out a movement to safeguard the Constitution, the foundation of Indian democracy, and the voting rights of the people. People must hit the streets for the same cause,” he said.
Senior Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also launched an attack on the CEC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that Kumar himself knew that the present format of the exercise was “illegal”.
“The INDIA bloc does not only want the resignation and arrest of Gyanesh Kumar but also favours the old procedure for the appointment of the CEC. With pressure mounting from people, Gyanesh Kumar will quit, and another Gyanesh Kumar will take charge. Therefore, we want the old appointment procedure, with the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha being part of the appointment committee to ensure transparency,” he said.
Roy Barman said he fears over 2 lakh valid voters will be disenfranchised through the SIR, which is set to commence in the state from December 12.
“A ploy has been hatched to delete around 3,500 voters in each of the 60 Assembly segments through the SIR in the state to get political benefits in the electoral battle. We will not allow the plan to succeed”, he said.
Strongly demanding the suspension of the SIR, former chief minister Manik Sarkar claimed that Gyanesh Kumar’s “main source of power” is Modi.
“He should be removed immediately, and the SIR exercise, aimed at deleting the names of minority voters, weaker sections of society and the Scheduled Caste community, must be stopped at the earliest. People must resist the BJP’s plan to prepare electoral rolls of its choice,” he said.
(PTI News)
