Chidambaram echoes Mamata’s views on need for electoral reform

Kolkata: Former Union Finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram advocated for Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s demand of state-funded elections in the country.

Chidambaram, during his visit to the city, slammed the BJP-led Centre for not taking any action to check the use of black money in the elections. Mamata demanded electoral reform several times in the past. The Congress leader’s comment also gained significance in the wake of the electoral bonds scheme getting challenged in the Supreme Court.

Chidambaram’s support of Mamata’s proposition comes also at a time when both TMC and Congress have colluded with an aim to defeat the BJP as part of the INDIA bloc. He blamed the Narendra Modi government and the BJP for using religion as an instrument to woo voters. Mamata, on repeated occasions, accused the BJP government at the Centre of the same.

He also accused the BJP-led Central government of using agencies against the Opposition leaders. Chidambaram pointed out how four Congress candidates in the Telangana elections have either been summoned or their premises searched by the investigating agencies in the midst of election campaign. He said that the misuse of central agencies is so apparent that it doesn’t even require an argument in a court of law.

“One of them was the Chairman of the BJP’s manifesto committee and resigned from the BJP on November 1. To the best of my knowledge, no candidate of the BJP has been searched by the agencies,” Chidambaram said.

In a sarcastic post, he said: “It is obvious that all candidates of the BJP were chosen by the Gods and carry divine blessings. In fact, if the BJP is elected, the party will take the people of Telangana straight to heaven.”