CPM state secretary Md Salim on Tuesday accused the Trinamool Congress and the BJP of playing divisive politics ahead of next year’s Assembly elections and called for larger Left unity against the ruling parties at the Centre and in Bengal.

“In the runup to the Assembly elections, Trinamool and the BJP are trying to divide the people of Bengal by indulging in divisive politics. They plan to polarise voters on religious lines. We have to thwart their attempts and want all those parties which are against the BJP and Trinamool to join hands for larger Left unity,” Salim said here today.

He was talking to media persons after attending a meeting of Darjeeling district CPM leaders. A nine-member district secretariat of the party was formed at the meeting, sources said.

Salim also flagged the alleged infringement of democratic rights by the central and state governments.

“Democratic rights of common people are being infringed on nowadays because of the governance in the state and at the Centre. Even central and state election panels are acting at the behest of the ruling parties,” the CPM leader said.

He announced that the CPM would organise statewide protests from July to September on a slew of issues, including the curtailment of the rights of common people. “The protests will be held right from the hills in the north to Sunderbans in the south,” said Salim.

Touching on the gang rape of a 24-year-old law student in Calcutta, the CPM leader said restoration of democratic system in educational institutions was the need of the hour.

“In Bengal, the safety of women is in question, even in educational institutions. The only solution is the democratisation of the management body and the administration, and the restoration of students’ unions in colleges. Even after repeated complaints were lodged against the principal accused (in the gang rape), no steps were taken against him. This is because the ruling party has allowed him to roam free and control the college,” said Salim.