Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), accused the Modi government of trying to destabilise non-BJP state governments using the Governors’ offices in the country.
Yechury, who joined the protests launched by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi on Sunday against Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and the alleged strike by IAS officers, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre of undermining federalism.
“Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister’s residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP central government,” Yechury wrote on Twitter.
“Utilising the office of the Governors and Lt. Governors, the BJP central government is seeking to destabilise non-BJP democratically elected state governments. This is happening with the democratically elected governments in Delhi and in Puducherry,” he added.
The senior Communist leader said that the Modi dispensation is trying to install BJP governments despite the saffron party not winning the mandate.
“Governor’s office was used to install BJP governments even after they have lost elections, like in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya. The Governor’s office has been misused in Bihar to allow the BJP to enter the govt via the backdoor after losing assembly elections comprehensively,” he said.
Yechury said the office of the Governor was sought to be utilised “to hijack people’s mandate in Karnataka” which was thwarted.
He added that such efforts are destroying the already fragile centre-state relation which is the backbone of the federal essence of the Indian Constitution.
He said the Communists in India were the “first victims of such central authoritarian misuse of constitutional provisions” when the elected government in Kerala was “undemocratically” dismissed in 1959.
“This has happened with Left-led governments repeatedly in Kerala and West Bengal subsequently,” he said.