Parallel News Digital Desk, 8th August
Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Mohammad Salim on Thursday accused both the West Bengal government and the Election Commission of responsibility for alleged electoral malpractice, saying democracy was being curtailed across the country.
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s state headquarters, Salim alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s administration used government officials, including block development officers, to work for poll strategist group I-PAC, and that both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manipulated the election process to win.
“Democracy is being shrunk, and people’s voting rights are being taken away,” Salim said, accusing the BJP of using the commission to secure victories while the Trinamool relied on intimidation and violence. He said errors in the voters’ list were being exploited to disenfranchise citizens while leaving deceased voters on the rolls.
Salim also criticised Banerjee for adopting what he called the RSS’s divisive agenda, accusing her of targeting linguistic diversity by branding people with different pronunciations as “Bangladeshi”. He condemned the replacement of an elected CPI(M) councillor’s role in local programmes with a Trinamool leader, calling it unconstitutional.
The CPI(M) leader also attacked the state government over stalled 100-day rural jobs, delayed publication of Joint Entrance Examination results due to OBC-related litigation, and unfilled seats in colleges, accusing Banerjee of defying court orders on issues including dearness allowance.
On the upcoming anniversary of the R.G. Kar Medical College case, Salim voiced support for protest actions by doctors’ groups and activists, alleging that key perpetrators of last year’s incident remained unpunished while whistleblowers faced transfers and intimidation.
“The fight will continue,” Salim said, urging the public to join the movement.
