COIMBATORE: CPI State secretary R Mutharasan on Sunday demanded the central government to explain the reason for the sudden resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel before the general polls. Addressing the media in Coimbatore, Mutharasan asked why the Election Commissioner resigned and why his resignation was accepted. “The three-member Election Commission of India (ECI) is now left with just Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

This has raised doubts whether the parliamentary polls will be held in a democratic manner,” he said. Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no locus-standi to speak on corruption as it was his friend Nirav Modi, who had defaulted on payment of loan for Rs 100 crore, Mutharasan said contrary to Modi’s claim that the industrial sector is doing well, even public sector enterprises like NTC mills remain shut. “Of the 23 mills across the country, seven in Tamil Nadu including five in Coimbatore are non-operational since 2020,” he said. Hitting out at the central government for failing to pay its contribution of Rs 500 crore towards implementation of metro train project in Chennai, Mutharasan attacked the centre for not releasing funds during the recent floods in Southern districts and Chennai.