New Delhi, Mar 22: A multi-party delegation on Friday met the Election Commission of India (ECI) at Nirvachan Sadan here to lodge complaint against the ‘blatant and illegal use of central agencies by the government to target opposition parties’.

The delegation, comprising KC Venugopal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi of Congress, Derek O Brian and Mohd Nadimul Haque of TMC, Sitaram Yechury of CPI M, Sandeep Pathak and Pankaj Gupta from AAP, Jitendra Awhad of NCP SP, P Wilson from DMK, and Javed Ali of SP also handed over a memorandum to the ECI.

After meeting the ECI, addressing the media outside the Nirvachan Sadan, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “We had a detailed discussion with the Election Commission. This is a very serious issue, and it is not just related to one person or one political party. When you misuse central agencies then this has a direct impact on the level playing field. It will impact the process of free and fair elections and democracy. We reminded the Election Commission of its duty and asked them to interfere in this matter.”

Terming it as a clear, deliberate, and sinister pattern, Singhvi said that the ruling party was abusing its power and completely destroying any semblance of a level playing field for other political parties contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Adding to that, never before has such high-handedness ever been witnessed.

He further said that in the 75 years of the country, such blatant misuse of central agencies has never happened ahead of the election. For the first time, a sitting Chief Minister has been arrested. A week ago, a Chief Minister was forced to resign and then arrested. Besides, the biggest opposition party, the Congress party’s accounts, have been frozen.

He also alleged that the CPI M has also received a similar notice.

He said that the government has used the central agencies against the opposition, but there are no instances of such action against its own people. Such an act targets the level playing field structure.

He said that the delegation has urged the Election Commission to act and take drastic steps to halt this brazen misuse of official machinery.

UNI