CPI general secretary D Raja stressed on the impartiality of the Election Commission and said that BJP should understand that ECI is a constitutional body. The comment comes after INDIA Bloc wrote a letter to the CJI on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and other election issues.
D Raja raised questions on ECI’s impartiality
New Delhi [भारत]July 1 (ANI): Communist Party of India (CPI) national general secretary D Raja on Wednesday stressed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must maintain its impartiality. He also called on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to understand that the ECI is a “constitutional body”. His comments come after INDIA block parties wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Tuesday regarding the Special Intensive Amendment (SIR) and other election-related issues.
Speaking to ANI, D Raja highlighted that the elections held in states like West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra have directly contradicted the mandate of the Election Commission to conduct fair elections. He said, “The BJP should understand that the Election Commission is a constitutional body. The Election Commission should ensure the right to vote of all eligible citizens and ensure free and fair elections. But what we saw in Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra tells a different story. Many states have filed complaints, and it is a serious matter.”
Furthermore, he stressed the need to protect the constitutional impartiality and independence of the ECI. He said, “The constitutional impartiality and independence of the EC must be protected. For this, the INDIA block parties have raised this issue with the Chief Justice of India. Let’s see what the Chief Justice is going to do.”
23 parties signed the letter written to CJI
On Tuesday, INDIA block parties including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) wrote a joint letter to the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant. Sources told ANI that the INDIA block secured the signatures of DMK and AAP on the joint letter after much negotiation. This is considered a major success for the opposition, which had seen cracks in Tamil Nadu after the Congress left the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance. AAP had also left the INDIA block long ago; However, she came together again to raise concerns over the SIR exercise.
In a post on Twitter, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh mentioned that the letter, which was first discussed at the INDIA ‘Janbandhan’ meeting on June 8, has been signed by 23 political parties and one independent leader. The Congress leader wrote on SURE–Standing firmly in Solidarity, Unity and Resistance.” (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet News editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)