New Delhi, Mar 30: The BJP on Monday approached the Election Commission, alleging that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC leaders are “intimidating” voters to dissuade them from voting for the saffron party in the upcoming assembly polls.
In a petition submitted to the Election Commission (EC) by a BJP delegation, the party urged the poll panel to debar Banerjee from participating in poll campaigns and order registration of an FIR against the TMC leaders.
The delegation comprising Union ministers Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal and Sukanta Majumdar, chief party spokesperson Anil Baluni, and Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh met EC officials at its office here.
The BJP also sought enhanced deployment of central forces in “sensitive and vulnerable areas”, claiming that West Bengal Police has become “ineffective” as it is “complicit” with the ruling TMC.
“Deploy more IAS and IPS officers as ECI observers to ensure that the state administration and police act impartially and decisively against all acts of violence or intimidation; and closely monitor polling and counting processes to ensure the sanctity and credibility of the electoral process,” the BJP petition said.
A series of “grave and disturbing” public statements made by Banerjee during the ongoing electoral process, delivered across multiple public rallies in North Bengal and other regions of the state show a “consistent, alarming and ominous pattern of provocation, voter intimidation and implicit incitement to violence”, thus posing a serious threat to free, fair and peaceful elections, the BJP said.
The petition cited reported remarks made by Banerjee and TMC MP Mahua Moitra on various occasions, saying they were in violation of the model code of conduct and various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It urged the EC to initiate “appropriate” legal proceedings against them.
The party sought “direct initiation of appropriate and firm legal proceedings under provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and those of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including filing of FIR”.
The BJP alleged that at a public rally in North Bengal’s Mainaguri on March 25, Banerjee stated that after the elections, “citizens would be compelled to display posters outside their homes declaring, ‘I don’t support BJP'”.
Such remarks amount to a direct threat to freedom of political expression and voter autonomy, it alleged.
“On March 26 at Pandaveswar, she repeated the call to ‘unite and resist’ and exhorted people to come out with ‘whatever is at home’ on polling and counting days, if any force was allegedly applied.
“Simultaneously, she cast doubts on the credibility of the counting process, thereby undermining public confidence in the Election Commission and the electoral system,” it added.
On Moitra, the BJP alleged that she tried to pitch one linguistic group against others with “malicious intent to drive a wedge” between them “in an already supercharged political environment”.
“On March 28, Mahua Moitra, while addressing a press conference in Kolkata, stated that ‘when you go to ‘Kalapani (cellular jail, Andamans), who đo you see? Sixty-eight per cent of the names of the people who were killed and who were incarcerated in Kalapani were Bengalis, followed by Punjabis. Can you name one Gujarati who was there?” the petition said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rijiju said that while the assembly polls are scheduled to be held in four states and one Union territory, Banerjee has “wreaked havoc to deprive electors of their right to vote in West Bengal and hijack the election”.
The West Bengal chief minister, her ministers and TMC workers are intimidating and threatening people with dire consequences if they vote for the BJP in the upcoming assembly polls, he alleged.
“We told the EC in detail how Mamata Banerjee is threatening voters, saying those who vote for the BJP will not be spared… We had a detailed discussion in this regard with the Election Commission officials,” the minister said.
Rijiju said that the EC gave a patient hearing and a “positive response” to the delegation, assuring that all necessary steps will be taken to ensure free and fair elections in West Bengal.
He alleged that Banerjee and her party leaders are threatening voters out of frustration, sensing their imminent defeat in the upcoming polls.
Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
