Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 18 (NationPress) - Congress General Secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal accused the CPI(M) in Kerala of adopting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strategy of undermining democracy by utilizing the Special Identity Register (SIR) as a means to stifle dissent and infringe upon essential voting rights.

He criticized both parties for their efforts to eradicate the involvement and approval of those who oppose their political ambitions, motivated by an intense fear of losing elections.

Venugopal pointed out that filmmaker V.M. Vinu, a candidate representing the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Kozhikode Corporation polls, was stripped of his voting rights purely due to his pro-Congress stance.

“Despite having participated in previous elections, Vinu and his family were reportedly removed from the voters' list,” an action Venugopal described as a clear infringement of fundamental rights.

He further alleged that in the Muttada ward of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the CPI-M intentionally sought to invalidate the candidacy of UDF candidate Vaishnavi Suresh by tampering with voter eligibility records to claim she held no voting rights.

He praised the Kerala High Court for its stern condemnation of the situation, labeling it a necessary intervention that upheld democratic principles and revealed the CPI-M’s 'nefarious political motives.'

Venugopal asserted that the action against Vaishnavi was a deliberate effort to deter young women from engaging in politics.

He ridiculed the CPI-M for its claims of empowering women by appointing a young woman as mayor while simultaneously attempting to obstruct a Congresswoman candidate through undemocratic tactics.

“The Election Commission’s rush to implement the SIR appeared designed to benefit the BJP, while the CPI-M exploited the same framework to facilitate fraudulent voting and selectively disenfranchise legitimate voters,” Venugopal remarked, also criticizing the CPI-M’s so-called ‘hypocritical secularism,’ likening it to the BJP’s strategies. He further alleged that political harassment by the party had contributed to the reported suicide of a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Payyannur.

“Both the BJP and CPI-M present a grave danger to the democratic structure through systematic voter suppression and political intimidation,” Venugopal concluded.