Tripura CPIM has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of Election Commission of India, Rajiv Kumar, demanding to take appropriate corrective measures for the sake of free, fair and peaceful elections in the state.
In the letter written by CPIM state committee secretary Jitendra Chaudhury claimed that the opposition parties have been facing adversaries in Tripura while carrying on election campaign.
He said that in most of the prayers seeking permission for rally or procession, the police allot them either odd hours or comparatively shorter duration for their campaign programmes.
“In many occasions, we were in trouble to carry on our scheduled campaign programme due to disruption caused by the BJP workers by playing sound system in a higher volume from a nearby point. The police don’t dare to interfere with the BJP workers. Where any of our meeting or procession is scheduled, the local BJP workers call upon bandh in the adjoining areas and compel the small and big shop-owners to shut their shutters and desert from the area”, the letter reads.
Chaudhury who is also MLA, alleged that in most of the places, the BJP leaders threaten the providers not to provide us sound system, chair etc. for the CPIM’s meeting and in some places, they had to address masses without audio system.
“Compared to the huge number of flags, festoons, hoardings etc. the BJP is using in this election, the number of election materials of the INDIA Bloc is insignificantly few. But these are also being defaced, removed or destroyed. On the contrary, innumerable number of BJP campaign materials are being displayed at Khas land violating the “The Tripura Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1976” which is applicable during election also. BJP has opened up thousands of Booth Offices throughout the state. Many of these booth offices are constructed in Khas land which is contraband to the above Act. Very frequently you express your commitment to provide ‘Level Playing Field’ to every stakeholders in the election”, the letter of Jitendra reads,
He asked the Commission to verify the facts that he has mentioned above with his own agency and take appropriate corrective measures for the sake of free fair and peaceful election in the state.