Kolkata: THE ruling TMC in West
Bengal has resorted to full-fledged assault on democracy and the rule of law as
panchayat elections have started to become a farce. From the declaration of
schedule to murderous attacks on opposition candidates in the nomination
process, this year’s panchayat elections have brought out the authoritarian
character of the TMC most crudely.
The chief minister has herself
declared repeatedly that she wanted ‘opposition-free panchayats’. Her party
leaders, including MPs called upon party activists to ensure that no opposition
member gets elected. The monstrous process has thus started.
Though the three tier panchayat is
a constitutional arrangement, every democratic norm is being violated in West
Bengal. To begin with, panchayat elections were declared suddenly. In the all
party meeting, held just two days before the announcement, the state election
commissioner refused to discuss probable dates and confessed that he was
‘totally dependent’ on the state administration. On March 31, the State
Election Commission declared the schedule. The three phase elections will be
held on May 1st, 3rd and 5th. The nomination process has started from April 2.
It will continue up to April 9. The process started with notification,
virtually providing no time to opposition parties to prepare. The total number
of seats in panchayat is 58,692. Only seven days are available for filing of
nomination in such huge number of seats. Though three-phase elections have been
declared, surprisingly the last date for filing of nomination is the same for
all phases. The schedule also clashes with ongoing higher secondary
examinations in the state. This will hinder the campaign as microphones would
not be used during this period.
The schedule has also brought out
nefarious designs of the ruling party. While 12 districts will go to polls on
the first day, only two - Birbhum and Murshidabad - will be in the second.
These two districts have been selected to intensify terror.
As soon as the process of
collecting and filing of nomination papers started on April 2, TMC armed gangs
began to cordon Block Development Offices (BDO), Sub Divisional Offices (SDO),
and even District Magistrate’s offices in some districts. The plan is simple:
the ruling party will not allow the opposition to collect and submit nomination
papers. This is a new method which was applied partially in 2013 in Birbhum and
some other districts. This year it has become the dominant feature in the state
in the first stage of terror. The right to contest an election, a
constitutional right, has become endangered, in what may be termed as,
‘pre-election rigging’.
In Birbhum, TMC miscreants gathered
in numbers in Siuri, Rampurhat, Labhpur, Nanur, Ilambazar, Bolpur, Nalhati 2,
Murarai, Dubrajpur and Mohammad Bazar. They cordoned the offices and chased
away CPI(M), Left Front and other opposition activists who came to either
collect or submit nominations. In Rampurhat, CPI(M) member of Budhigram
panchayat, Panai Sheikh was brutally attacked. Sheikh is a disabled person from
birth. Despite that, he was mercilessly beaten and was later admitted to
hospital. CPI(M) panchayat member Rana Let was mercilessly beaten in Rampurhat.
CPI(M) candidate Mitali Das was manhandled, her voter card and other documents
snatched, her husband beaten in Nalhati. TMC district president and an infamous
muscleman Anubrata Mondal has boasted in front of media, “Whenever opposition supporters try to submit
nomination, they will see development stands in front of them”. It was clear
that he meant TMC armed gangs as ‘development’. On the second and third day,
TMC cadre openly exhibited swords, knives in front of block offices. In
Mauyreswar-1, they virtually blocked the entrance and CPI(M) candidate Sajjad
Mirza was attacked. In Rampurhat, CPI(ML) candidate and secretary of Rampurhat
Bar Association Prodyot Mukherjee was severely beaten. In Siuri, BJP leader
Kalosona Mondal was stabbed in the vicinity of the DM office. Presence of media
persons is banned in Birbhum block offices by the fatwa of the TMC.
On April 2, CPI(M) candidates from
villages in Borjora in Bankura district came to file their nomination at the
block office. TMC gangs attacked them injuring more than 30 persons including
women. CPI(M) district committee member Sujoy Chowdhury, Borjora panchayat
samiti member Sharif Mondal, and others were injured. Attacks continued in
different parts of Bankura. In Bankura town itself, no Left Front candidate was
allowed to enter the BDO office. In Hirbandh, CPI(M) activists were brutally
beaten when they entered the BDO office. Many of them were injured. However,
local people retaliated and chased away the TMC miscreants. In Ranibandh, TMC
miscreants attacked CPI(M) activists. Later in a clash, a BJP candidate, Ajit
Murmu was killed.
In East Midnapore, CPI(M)
candidates were attacked in Khejuri, Panskura and Sutahata. In Sutahata, CPI(M)
MLA Tapashi Mondal was attacked as she led Left Front candidates to the block
office. Nur Alam, Sabhapati of Sutahata panchayat samiti was severely beaten.
In Burdwan East, block offices in
Galsi, Ketugram-2, Katwa, Aushgram-2, Raina-1, Khandaghosh have been surrounded.
CPI(M) leaders and candidates were attacked.
In South 24 Parganas, TMC has
organised an attack in Budge Budge-1, Budge Budge-2, Falta, Magrahat-2, Diamond
Harbour-2 and prevented CPI(M) candidates from collecting nomination forms.
In North 24 Parganas, TMC activists
attacked CPI(M) office in Murarishah, Hasnabad and attacked Party activists.
TMC gangs cordoned a market area to attack CPI(M) activists, creating
largescale panic among people. CPI(M) district committee member Shakti Mukherjee was injured among others. In
Minakha, TMC activists took position within BDO office and severely beat up
CPI(M) candidates.
In Coochbehar, Left Front
candidates were prevented from submission of nomination forms. They were
attacked and journalists were mercilessly beaten up by TMC activists.
In Raiganj in North Dinajpur, TMC
gangs started firing and charged bombs to disperse opposition candidates on
April 4. They terrorised the entire town and searched for CPI(M) and opposition
activists. TMC armed gangs blocked nomination process in Kaliyaganj, Itahar.
In Murshidabad district, block
offices in Raghunathganj, Kandi, Baroan, Salar, Raninahar, Jalangi, Nabagram,
Murshidanad-Jiaganj have been captured by TMC miscreants. CPI(M) offices in
Raninagar and Sherpur were vandalised.
In Hooghly, TMC armed gangs have
taken control of block offices in Haripal, Jangipara and Goghat.
In almost all areas, the police
have become an accomplice of the the TMC. In some districts, police have
actively participated in chasing away opposition activists.
However, in such an atmosphere of
State-sponsored terror, Left Front activists are trying their level best to
submit nominations, braving attacks and intimidations.
NON-EXISTENT STATE ELECTION
COMMISSION
The State Election Commission has
abjectly surrendered and has remained totally insensitive to atrocities
committed. Left Front delegation has met the state election commissioner
regularly but he expressed his inability to address any of the grievances. Left
Front delegation has demanded security during the nomination process, which is
practically absent in districts. Apart from direct attacks, the system of
providing provisional caste certificates has been cancelled. The very short
time span available for nomination has made this process more difficult. State
Election Commission has also failed to explain the rationale behind this
schedule. While only seven days are available for submission of nominations,
same number of days are allotted for withdrawal. It has been apprehended that the
TMC would pressurise and force opposition candidates to withdraw.
The first phase of voting will take
place on the May Day. Central trade unions, Left parties and many other
organisations have forcefully objected to this denigration of International
Working Peoples’ Day and demanded a change in the schedule. Trade unions have
organized a rally in front of the State Election Commission’s office.
To recollect, in Mamata Banerjee’s
reign, one state election commissioner had to move to courts seeking protection
of her duties under tremendous threat from the state government and another was
forced to resign during the election process, threatened by state ministers.
CPI(M) state secretary Surjyakanta
Misra, in a press meet, said that earlier we have seen booth capturing by the
TMC in every elections in West Bengal in their regime. But now BDO, SDO, even
DM offices are being captured. Opposition parties are not being allowed even to
submit nomination. Police is a mere spectator or partner in the crime.
Opposition candidates are being attacked in the premises of administrative offices.
State Election Commission has become immobile from the very beginning and the
entire election machinery is run from Nabanna, the state secretariat. Whether
there will be campaign and voting has become uncertain as the primary process
of nomination is being resisted. Left Front will organise mass deputation to
State Election Office to protest this large scale attack on democracy.
Misra, however, called upon Left
activists and supporters to resist the terror and move collectively to submit
nomination.
Left Front chairman Biman Basu said
that the panchayat elections are destined to be farce in such an atmosphere.
TMC is trying to build a ‘new kind of democracy’ without the existence of
opposition.
A Left Front delegation submitted
deputation to the governor. They urged him to intervene to protect
constitutional rights of the people of the state.
