Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 26 (ANI): CPI(M) West Bengal Secretary Md Salim on Saturday said former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should clarify her stand on the ongoing controversy involving the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, while asserting that efforts to bring parties together on the issue did not mean an electoral alliance.
Speaking to ANI, Salim said letters had been sent to various parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), seeking their participation in the effort against alleged threats to constitutional institutions.
"Today, our country faces a challenge regarding its constitutional institutions, specifically the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Letters have been written to various parties, including the TMC, and many have expressed a willingness to join the effort. Mamata Banerjee needs to clarify her position," Salim said.
"This does not imply an electoral understanding or a formal alliance," he added.
Salim's remarks came after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier criticised the Election Commission over the SIR exercise of electoral rolls, alleging that the CEC had "no moral authority to continue".
Banerjee's remarks followed The Indian Express report saying that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures linked to the SIR process.
Reacting to the report, Banerjee had alleged that the poll machinery had been compromised and demanded accountability from the CEC. The Election Commission, however, maintained that internal notes, observations, technical suggestions and written queries were part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body.
The ECI has asserted that all final decisions related to the SIR exercise were taken unanimously and carried the approval of all three commissioners.
On CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby's reported remarks asking the CJP movement to join the Left's protest over the Election Commission controversy, Salim said efforts were being made to bring all sections together.
"We emphasised the need to bring all these elements together. CJP movement is also a movement, but it is not a political party yet. The new generation must take to the streets. Everyone must now clarify whether they support taking away voting rights or restoring them," Salim said.
Baby had earlier said that the INDIA bloc should come together on the issue of the Election Commission and decide its future course of action, including the possibility of an impeachment notice against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
On the upcoming by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar, Salim said the Left's contest in Nandigram was directly against the BJP, while issues between Congress and TMC in Rejinagar had to be resolved by the two parties.
"I have just returned from Rejinagar, where I observed 3-4 different factions of the TMC. That is a matter for the Congress and TMC to sort out. However, I saw both Congress and TMC present in Rejinagar. In Nandigram, the Left's fight is directly against the BJP," he said.
The Nandigram Assembly bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with counting of votes set for October 9. (ANI)
"Mamata needs to clarify position": CPI(M)'s Md Salim seeks opposition unity on SIR row
