Ranchi: CPI(ML) legislators will support INDIA bloc candidates — Pranav Jha (JMM) and Baidyanath Ram (Congress) — in the June 18 Rajya Sabha election, party national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said on Sunday.CPI(ML) has two MLAs in the state assembly — Arup Chaterjee and Chandradeo Mahato.Addressing the media after the party’s two-day state convention, Bhattacharya said, “I am assured that INDIA bloc MLAs will support the candidates representing their alliance and defeat the BJP strategy to project industrialist Parimal Nathwani as an independent candidate.”He said that since people voted for the INDIA bloc in the last assembly election, MLAs should back the alliance nominees in the RS poll. Bhattacharya said the party appointed two functionaries, Geeta Mandal and Haldhar Mahto, as polling agents for the election.He said CPI(ML) will launch an agitation, ‘Kaam Do (give work)’, in rural areas from Monday till July 15 over rising inflation, followed by another movement in Aug for jobs and decent wages.Bhattacharya said CPI(ML) was backing the agitation by student unions demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination paper leaks. He said the National Testing Agency should be dissolved and replaced with a new system for conducting competitive exams.On the West Bengal election, Bhattacharya said the BJP won by a margin of over 35 lakh votes, when 35 lakh applications of those deleted from the voter list during SIR were pending with tribunals. He also raised suspicion over the recent fire at a govt building in Kolkata that allegedly destroyed EVMs.He said a more dangerous game was being played in Jharkhand, alleging that Dalits, tribals and farmers were being removed from the voter list. In the Bagodar assembly constituency, 1.40 lakh names have been removed from the voter list, he alleged.Bhattacharya accused BJP of trying to turn the country into a one-party rule and said all opposition parties must fight in unison.
