AGARTALA: Senior CPI(M) leader and former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Tuesday accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to impose a fascist regime in India through the introduction of bills on simultaneous elections.
Earlier this month, two bills related to ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE), including one requiring a constitutional amendment, were presented in the Lok Sabha.
These bills outline a framework for holding elections simultaneously across the country.
Sarkar argued that the government’s move was part of an effort to establish a fascistic rule centered around “one country, one leader, one language, and one culture.”
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He claimed that it would also serve as a distraction from pressing issues such as rising prices, unemployment, and the ongoing distress in the agricultural sector.
Referring to the Congress, Sarkar pointed out that simultaneous elections had been held until 1967, but were “disrupted by the Congress-led government for their own political advantage.”
He also suggested that the central government introduced the two bills, fully aware that they were unlikely to pass in Parliament.
Sarkar further criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his recent comments on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution.
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He remarked that the BJP’s predecessor, the Janata Sangh, had opposed the Constitution from its inception and, as a result, held a disdain for Ambedkar.
