Bills on simultaneous polls aimed at installing fascistic rule: Manik Sarkar

Former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar

Senior CPI(M) leader and former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar on Tuesday alleged that the BJP-led central government was trying to put in place a fascistic rule in the country by introducing bills on simultaneous elections.

The two 'One Nation One Election' (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous polls, were introduced in the Lok Sabha earlier this month.

“The move is nothing but an attempt to install a fascistic rule in the form of one country, one leader, one language and one culture. It will also divert the people’s attention from the real issues - price rise, unemployment and distress in the farm sector,” Sarkar asserted.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the country had simultaneous elections till 1967, and the practice was “broken by the Congress-led government for their own interests”.

“The central government introduced the two bills seeking simultaneous elections, in spite of knowing that those will not be passed in Parliament,” Sarkar claimed.

Sarkar also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Saha for his recent remarks on BR Ambedkar.

“The Jan Sangh (BJP’s predecessor) had been opposing the Constitution from the very beginning. Naturally, they don’t like Ambedkar, who had scripted the Constitution,” he added.