Agartala, Oct 31 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday accused the Congress-led INDIA bloc of undermining constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission (EC) and the Supreme Court, alleging that its opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was aimed at misleading people.
Addressing a rally, Saha said the country was progressing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while opposition parties were attempting to create distrust in constitutional bodies.
Backing the SIR exercise, the Chief Minister said the Election Commission was empowered to undertake electoral roll revisions to ensure accurate voter lists and free and fair elections. He accused the INDIA bloc of questioning the process despite the Supreme Court’s observations on the EC’s authority.
Saha alleged that the opposition was resorting to protests and political campaigns after failing to secure electoral victories. He asserted that such attempts would not succeed in a democratic country like India. He said the BJP would reach out to people to highlight what he described as the opposition’s attempts to weaken democratic institutions and undermine constitutional values.
“Saturday’s massive public participation demonstrates that the true strength of democracy lies in the people. The people of Tripura have clearly expressed their firm commitment to peace, stability, good governance and development. Our journey will continue with an unwavering resolve to uphold the dignity of democracy, raise our voice against anarchy, and further strengthen the path of progress and development,” the Chief Minister said in a post on his X handle.
State BJP president Abhishek Debroy also criticised the INDIA bloc’s opposition to the SIR exercise, claiming that similar revisions had been conducted several times during previous Congress-led governments. He questioned the opposition’s demand to halt the exercise, arguing that electoral roll revision was necessary to remove the names of deceased and shifted voters and maintain accurate voter lists.
Referring to the INDIA bloc’s ‘Save Democracy’ rally held on Friday, Debroy alleged that the Congress and CPI (M) had joined hands to challenge the BJP politically in Tripura. He expressed confidence in the BJP’s political prospects in the state, asserting that the party would remain strong until 2047.
The Saturday’s rally was organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nationwide as part of the “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy” (Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao) campaign.
–IANS
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