BJP trying to make opposition-less country, claims Yechury

Agartala, Aug. 24 (IANS): The BJP has been trying to make India “opposition-less” and by protecting the judiciary, the Election Commission, and other constitutional bodies, the party could be ousted to save the Constitution and country’s secularism, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said here on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering here, he accused the BJP of destroying democracy by forming governments in a few states after being defeated in the elections by the people.

“The BJP government has been selling national properties and assets while on the other hand, they have written off INR 11 lakh crore loans of millionaires.

“The misuse of the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and other central agencies by the BJP government would continue but the leaders of the Left parties would not be cowed down to these unethical pressures,” he said.

Yechury also regretted that the long-pending petitions on abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and electoral bonds are not yet settled by the Supreme Court.

He also recalled that after defeating the CPI-M-led Left Front government in Tripura in the 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP held a big rally in Delhi and in response to media queries they had said that the state might have only two Lok Sabha seats but defeating the Left parties was a biggest success for them.

“Like the BJP, during the independence period, the British also considered the Left parties as their biggest enemy,” he said, citing the significant role of veteran Left leaders in the independence struggle.

The CPI-M leader said that the BJP was attacking the media to prevent circulation and spreading of actual facts and the truth among the people.

“While the BJP destroys the secular image of the country, demolishing the economy of India is a bid to devastate the independence of the people,” Yechury claimed.

The CPI-M leader appealed to the people of the country to strengthen their united fight to protect the constitutional spirit of the country. He also urged the people of Tripura to strengthen their fight against the “fascistic” rule of the BJP and to restore democracy in the state.

During the gathering, CPI-M Tripura state Secretary and Central Committee member Jitendra Chowdhury, CPI-M politburo member and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, and veteran leader Aghore Debbarma also spoke.

“Jungle Raj is prevailing in Tripura. There is no rule of law in the state. The constitution has been put on the shelf and the mafia elements of BJP have unloosed a reign of terror; people want respite from this anarchy,” Chowdhury said.