India bloc delegation asks EC to step in over mishandling of central agencies

A nine-member delegation from the INDIA bloc petitioned the Election Commission of India one day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested, requesting immediate action into the “blatant” deployment of government agencies against the opposition.

Among the delegation were DMK’s P Wilson, AAP MP Sandeep Pathak, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, TMC MPs Derek O’Brien and Nadimul Haque, Congress MPs K C Venugopal and Abhishek Singhvi, and others.

The parties stated in their memorandum that in order to guarantee equal opportunities, the ECI should form a committee and publish a circular stating that all raids, investigations, and arrests must be authorized by the committee beforehand.

The parties recommended that prompt action be done, including opening investigations into people and law enforcement officials who have harassed opposition leaders by abusing their positions.

We humbly submit that an environment of intimidation and blackmail cannot support free and fair elections. The Commission needs to intervene to stop this blatant abuse of the government apparatus. If the Commission is unable to guarantee fair playing fields, this election process would have lost its sacredness, the statement said.

The majority of the opposition parties’ representatives have met with the EC, according to Congressman Abhishek Singhvi. This has to do with the fundamental framework of the constitution; it is not about any one person or political party. Free and fair elections are impacted, as is democracy, when a level playing field is required for elections and it is not provided by abusing authorities. The EC was invited to step in. This is the first occasion that a sitting chief minister has been detained in India’s 75-year history of independence.

The purpose of the action is to intentionally weaken the parties and the opposition as a whole. The document said that the purpose of the arrests was to “send a message that the ruling regime will not countenance any real opposition to its electoral ambitions.”

The incumbent regime, according to the parties, has a demonstrated history of abusing its position of authority and undermining the chances of other political parties running for the Lok Sabha. It emphasized that such acts constitute a clear breach of the EC’s directives, the Representation of People Act of 1951, and the Indian Penal Code of 1860.

“The model code of conduct is in force, despite that such actions are being taken,” said Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI-M. Democracy is meaningless in the absence of equitable playing fields.