CPI(ML) General Secretary Com. Dipankar Bhattacharya said in Patna on September 27 that the party and democratic forces were moving towards a decisive movement against the Election Commission of India (ECI), with questions to be raised from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the conduct of the electoral process.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Dipankar said the Opposition had repeatedly raised the issue of the Election Commission working in collusion with the BJP, but facts emerging from within the Commission itself had now exposed this nexus. Referring to the ECI press conference and statement issued on September 26, he said it amounted to an admission of the serious charges raised against the Commission. He said Gyanesh Kumar had no moral right to continue in office.
Holding up a copy of the ECI statement, Dipankar pointed to its announcement that the agenda of meetings would henceforth be circulated in advance. He questioned why the agenda had not been circulated earlier and said the Commission must answer this question. He said the Commission's own statement had admitted the serious issues raised against its functioning.
Raising the issue of West Bengal, Dipankar said around 16 lakh people who had earlier been accepted as eligible voters were subsequently treated as ineligible, with the Election Commission appealing before a tribunal against their inclusion. He said the Commission had yet to answer for this action. He questioned why people excluded from the electoral rolls because of the Commission's own irregularities should now be asked to submit Form 6, the application form for inclusion of a person's name in the electoral roll.
Dipankar said “enough is enough” and demanded that Gyanesh Kumar step down. He said the Election Commission could not function under his leadership. He pointed out that the Commission had earlier claimed that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) had produced a purified electoral roll, while it was now saying that those left out would be added. He demanded an immediate halt to the SIR process, re-election in constituencies where elections had already been held following SIR, and changes in the process of appointing the Chief Election Commissioner.
“We are moving towards a decisive movement,” Dipankar said. “This movement will begin with Gyanesh Kumar and go up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Responding to questions from journalists, Dipankar challenged Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s assertion that there had been no irregularities in the SIR process and that no people had come forward saying they had been denied their voting rights. He invited Choudhary to see the situation for himself on October 1, when a public hearing would be organised with people from 10 Bihar Assembly constituencies.
Dipankar said the public hearing would bring forward people who were alive, living in Bihar and had been denied their right to vote in the previous Assembly election.
Violence Against Women in Bihar
He also criticised the Bihar government’s handling of the law-and-order situation and said Samrat Choudhary should answer for it. Referring to the incident in Jamui, he said the episode had brought shame to Bihar across the country and exposed the failure of the law-and-order system.
AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari also addressed the press conference and raised the issue of attacks on women and girls. She said women were not safe in Bihar or across the country and that attacks on girls were continuing, while instead of taking action against perpetrators, the government and its machinery were blaming the girls themselves.
Referring to Bihar minister Shreyasi Singh’s statement on moral policing, Tiwari said that while girls were facing attacks, restrictions were also being imposed on them. She questioned why girls were being targeted instead of action being taken against those responsible for the attacks.
CPI(ML) Politburo member Dhirendra Jha, Legislative Council member Shashi Yadav and Comrade Amar were also present at the press conference.
