CPI(M)'s M.A. Baby calls for 'INDIA Bloc-Plus' against CEC 'misuse' of power

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary M.A. Baby has called for an "INDIA Bloc-Plus" — a wider coalition bringing together Opposition parties, civil society organisations and newer political formations — to resist what he described as the misuse of authority by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, allegedly with the backing of the BJP leadership.

Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Baby said Indian politics was passing through critical moments and that a substantial part of how the CEC had exceeded his brief now stood exposed. The INDIA Bloc, he said, had a role in building that resistance, but it needed to be more than itself. "It should be INDIA Bloc-Plus; that is the entire Opposition should come," he said, adding that everybody should be taken on board, including civil society and new political forces.

Mr. Baby's remarks follow reports that he had spoken to All India Trinamool Congress leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as part of efforts to construct a broader national framework of opposition. He said the INDIA Bloc was expected to meet in New Delhi on September 30 for discussions.

According to Mr. Baby, the controversy over the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll has shown how a basic, democratic and transparent task that should have been carried out by the Election Commission was effectively subverted by the CEC, despite the reservations and objections of his colleagues. He argued that the question was not merely whether the CEC is forced to resign, but also whose support enabled the actions, and that those backers should equally be held to account.

Mr. Baby said he had written to Ms. Banerjee while reaching out to various Opposition parties across the country, and that the two had discussed the state of affairs in the country and how the Election Commission had been "hijacked" by the ruling party. He quoted Ms. Banerjee as saying that she is not allowed to go out, that she is being denied democratic rights and the ability to mix with people, and that organising any protest programme in West Bengal under BJP rule is very difficult.