Agartala, September 25: The Tripura Pradesh Congress on Friday held a demonstration in Agartala against the Election Commission, alleging lapses in the electoral process and announcing that the party would intensify its agitation on the issue.
The protest was organised near the Chief Electoral Officer’s office at Office Lane. Congress workers and supporters raised slogans against the poll panel and burnt an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
TPCC president Ashish Kumar Saha led the demonstration along with senior Congress leaders, corporators and party workers. Speaking at the protest, Saha demanded the resignation and arrest of Kumar, alleging that recent actions of the Election Commission had raised questions about the functioning of democratic institutions.
Saha also accused the BJP-led state government of failing to adequately address the concerns of different sections, including teachers, unemployed youths, government employees, labourers and farmers. He said the Congress would continue to organise programmes to raise issues concerning the public.
The Congress leader cited alleged irregularities in elections in West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Haryana and questioned the legal protection available to Election Commission officials. He said such provisions should not prevent accountability over alleged violations of democratic norms.
Saha also raised the issue of protests by TET and STGT-qualified candidates and other unemployed youths in Tripura. He alleged that police had used water cannons and force against the protesters instead of addressing their demands for employment.
The party said its Working Committee would meet shortly to decide the next phase of the agitation. Congress leaders indicated that a statewide protest could be launched over alleged electoral irregularities and issues concerning democratic institutions.
