Reported by: Mrinal Banik
Agartala: Leaders and workers of eight political parties under the INDIA bloc‘s Tripura unit on Friday staged a protest march in Agartala, demanding protection of constitutional values, electoral rights and the neutrality of democratic institutions.
The protesters raised concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the alleged weakening of democratic institutions. Participants carried the national Tricolour instead of their respective party flags.
Addressing the gathering after the march, Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury described the programme as an expression of unity among patriotic and democratic forces.
Referring to the freedom struggle, he said people from different political and ideological backgrounds had united against British rule.
He alleged that the present political dispensation was undermining the dignity of the national flag, the Constitution and democratic institutions.
Questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission, Chaudhury criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged that the poll panel was not discharging its constitutional responsibilities properly.
He said the movement went beyond the five-point charter of demands and was primarily aimed at protecting citizens’ fundamental voting rights and ensuring that opposition candidates could contest elections without obstruction.
Referring to previous municipal and local body elections, he alleged that opposition candidates had faced difficulties in collecting and submitting nomination papers. He called for unity among opposition and democratic forces to protect democratic rights.
Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman alleged that institutions such as the Election Commission, Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax Department were being used for political purposes.
Expressing concern over the SIR exercise, he claimed that more than two lakh names had been identified for deletion from the electoral rolls in Tripura. He questioned how free and fair elections could be ensured if genuine voters were removed from the lists.
Barman also opposed the existing procedure for appointing election commissioners and demanded the restoration of the earlier selection mechanism, which included the Chief Justice of India.
Referring to Articles 14 and 326 of the Constitution, he said citizens’ voting rights could not be curtailed arbitrarily. He expressed hope that judicial scrutiny and public opinion would help address the issue.
Tripura Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha alleged that attempts were being made to weaken democratic institutions and alter the constitutional framework. He accused the Election Commission of attempting to deprive genuine voters of their electoral rights.
Saha said the INDIA bloc had emerged as a common platform to defend democracy, linguistic rights, cultural diversity and social equality.
Thanking young people and students for participating in the march, he said their involvement was significant despite what he described as political intimidation and repression.
The speakers called for strengthening the INDIA bloc’s unity in Tripura and across the country, reiterating that protection of the Constitution, voting rights and democratic institutions would remain the central focus of their movement.