Agartala, July 3: Veteran CPI(M) leader and former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on July 2 alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to prepare a voter list favourable to the ruling party in an effort to retain power indefinitely.
Addressing a public meeting at Chailengta in Dhalai district, Sarkar claimed that the BJP’s objective is to remove the names of voters whom it believes are unlikely to support the party. He alleged that Muslims, labourers and economically weaker sections were being specifically targeted through the electoral roll revision exercise.
“The BJP wants to remove genuine voters whom it suspects will vote against the saffron party. Their prime target is Muslims, labourers and the poor,” Sarkar said.
The former chief minister further alleged that similar exercises had been carried out in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, where, according to him, legitimate voters were being affected during the Special Intensive Revision process.
Accusing the BJP of attempting to establish what he described as a “fascist rule”, Sarkar claimed that the denial of voting rights to genuine electors posed a threat to democratic institutions. He also alleged that a similar process was underway in Tripura, where the ruling party was conspiring to disenfranchise voters it considered doubtful.
“If voting rights are taken away, democracy will collapse. That is what the BJP is planning,” he alleged.
Sarkar also claimed that the BJP would not have returned to power in the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections without what he described as covert support from the Tipra Motha Party (TMP).
He further criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, alleging that both organisations have sought to create divisions between Hindus and Muslims since the BJP formed the government in Tripura in 2018.
Calling for public mobilisation, Sarkar urged people to unite against the BJP government and launch protests against what he termed its anti-people policies. He also alleged that the state continues to face persistent challenges relating to unemployment, law and order, and corruption.
