Ranchi, Jul 25 (PTI) Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on Friday accused the BJP of manipulating the upcoming Bihar elections by orchestrating a large-scale revision of the state’s voter rolls through the Election Commission and termed it an attack on democratic rights and constitutional values.
Karat also accused the Election Commission of acting as an agent of the saffron party.
“The BJP knows that they are going to lose the Bihar elections. Therefore, in an unprecedented manner, they have got the Election Commission to carry out a full vote revision in such a short period,” Karat said.
“In that revision, they decided that 52 lakh votes will be removed from the electoral rolls. You (BJP) have made the poll panel an election agent of your party,” she said.
Karat criticised the EC for compromising its constitutional authority and “destroying the prestige” associated with its office.
“I’m sorry to say this about a constitutional body, but the way they’ve conducted this exercise shows they are behaving not as an independent institution, but as the election agent of the BJP,” she alleged.
Karat claimed that the Centre initially justified the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar by alleging that the affected voters were foreigners or illegal immigrants.
“Now that gas balloon has burst, they’re saying these people were not present at their residences,” she said.
“There are crores of migrant workers in India. If someone is away from home due to work, does that mean they should lose their right to vote?” Calling the move reminiscent of the British regime, Karat said attempts to disenfranchise the working class echoed Colonial-era restrictions that allowed only property holders to vote.
“The Constitution gives every Indian citizen the right to vote. These are citizens who may not be home because they are building roads or working on construction sites,” she said.
The CPI(M) leader also noted that opposition to the revision exercise extended beyond the INDIA bloc, citing objections raised by BJP ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
“This is not about seats or alliances right now. The entire opposition has united to protect the right to vote,” she said adding, “How many seats each party gets in Bihar elections will come later. First, we must ensure we are voters.” Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karat questioned his absence during the ongoing Parliament session and key discussions.
“Where is the PM when critical issues like Operation Sindoor are being raised? This is an insult to Parliament,” she said, alleging that the BJP is attempting to bulldoze legislation without addressing opposition concerns.
Karat also referred to the resignation of the vice-president, calling the government’s handling of the situation a blow to constitutional dignity.
“Whether the individual deserved the post or not is another matter. But the process has damaged the dignity of the VP’s office and the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha,” she said.
She charged the Modi government of diluting democratic institutions and empowering right-wing forces.
“He may be the second-longest serving Prime Minister, but he will go down in history as the first to try and bulldoze the Constitution of India,” she alleged. PTI NAM MNB
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