New Delhi [India], October 14 : Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary MA Baby on Wednesday hit out at the Centre over legal protections extended to poll officials, asserting that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners have been granted an immunity that "even the President of India does not enjoy."
Speaking to reporters outside Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi, Baby termed the statutory protections granted to the election commission panel an "extraordinary situation" that warrants an immediate legislative rollback.
"We need to force the government to bring in an amendment to the election law where impunity is being given to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners—an immunity even the President of India is not enjoying. The President of India can have immunity only during his or her term in office. So this is an extraordinary situation," Baby said.
The veteran Left leader was speaking on the sidelines of a high-profile meeting organised by civil society groups, intellectuals, and mass organisations to discuss institutional accountability and electoral integrity.
The gathering at Surjeet Bhawan saw the participation of prominent figures, including development economist Jean Dreze, political commentator Parakala Prabhakar, actor Prakash Raj, and activist Tara Rao, along with various youth and student representatives.
Extending the CPI(M)'s complete solidarity to the platform, Baby stated that mass organisations and the opposition INDIA bloc are uniting to demand accountability and the removal of the poll chief.
"The struggle to protect constitutional values and the accountability of constitutional institutions like the Election Commission of India is a very important struggle which we may have to carry out in a multi-dimensional manner. The INDIA bloc is at the forefront of the struggle, and student and youth organisations are there," Baby said.
"Public intellectuals, civil society movements, and mass organisations have gathered to discuss how our collective forces can be harnessed in the struggle to remove this corrupt, 'vote-chori' Chief Election Commissioner. Different streams of struggle must come and merge into the ocean of struggle," he added.