Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Sunday accused the BJP of misusing voter lists to influence election outcomes, alleging that the democratic process is being reduced to a “farce”.
Speaking at a condolence meeting for late Madhab Saha in Udaipur under Gomati district, Sarkar also flagged issues such as rising prices of essential commodities, what he described as an ailing economy, and the weakening value of the Indian currency.
“People’s quality of life is deteriorating. The BJP and the RSS are trying to divide communities so that they do not unite against anti-people policies. Muslims have been the primary target, but Christians too are facing harassment. Even in Parliament, the Opposition is not being allowed to raise issues concerning public welfare. This is not fiction — this is the ground reality,” he said.
The senior CPI(M) leader further alleged that elections, particularly in Tripura after 2018, have not been conducted in a free and fair manner. “People were not able to vote for candidates of their choice. The BJP and RSS believed they could implement the same model elsewhere, but citizens have started resisting. There is a growing unity against such practices,” he claimed.
Sarkar also alleged that voter lists are being manipulated to weaken democratic safeguards. Citing Bihar as an example, he claimed that names of Muslims, Scheduled Castes and economically weaker sections — especially those involved in protests — were removed from electoral rolls.
The BJP has not responded to the allegations