+

Mamata to sit on dharna against EC’s 24-hour ban on her from campaigning

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday banned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in the ongoing state elections for 24 hours after she made “highly insinuating and provocative remarks laden with the serious potential of the breakdown of law and order and thereby affecting the election process”. In its order, the poll panel […]

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday banned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in the ongoing state elections for 24 hours after she made “highly insinuating and provocative remarks laden with the serious potential of the breakdown of law and order and thereby affecting the election process”.

In its order, the poll panel condemned her statements “portent with serious law and order problems across the state (s)” and sternly warned her “to desist from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct is in force.”

The Commission said it has carefully considered the matter and “is of the considered view that Ms Mamata Banerjee, who happens to be the Chief Minister of the state, has in violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct as well as Section 123 (3) and (3A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and Sections 186, 189 and 505 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 made highly insinuating and provocative remarks laden with the serious potential of the breakdown of law and order and thereby affecting the election process”.

“The Commission also imposes a ban of twenty-four hours on Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in any manner from 8 pm of April 12, 2021, till 8 pm of April 13, 2021,» the EC order stated.

The ban comes into force ahead of the fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls which is due on 17 April.

Reacting to the ban, Mamata Banerjee said she would “protest the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission”. Her tweet came less than an hour after the EC suspended her from campaigning.

“To protest against the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission of India, I will sit on dharna tomorrow at Gandhi Murti (in) Kolkata from 12 noon,” Mamata tweeted late Monday night.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out against Mamata Banerjee at an election rally, saying she has waged an

open war against the state’s Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Castes (OBC).

Referring to TMC candidate Sujata Mondal’s recent statement, Modi said, “Didi’s people abuse Bengal’s Scheduled Caste community and call them beggars. Babasaheb’s soul would be hurt by hearing such bitter words. Didi calls herself the ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’. Such comments on the Scheduled Castes cannot be given by any TMC leader without Didi’s will.”

“Didi… has started a campaign to discredit the ordinary voters of Bengal,” PM Modi said. “Close associates of Didi have started saying that people who vote for the BJP will be thrown out! Do people approve of this sort of language, these lines, this arrogance? Is this democracy?” he added.

He also pointed out the violence taking place during the Bengal polls and questioned if Banerjee had appealed for peaceful elections during her rallies. “Has Didi appealed even once for the peaceful conduct of elections? Has she even once said that strict action will be taken against those who get involved in violence and try to obstruct voting?”

PM Modi on Monday also said the people of West Bengal have “clean-bowled TMC and hit so many fours and sixes that BJP has already scored a century of seats” in the last four phases of the Assembly polls, which has irked the Trinamool Congress chief.

“The people of Bengal failed the plan of Didi. She was preparing to hand over the captaincy of the party to bhaipo (nephew), but the public caught her ‹khela› in time…Didi›s entire team has been asked to go out of the field by the people of Bengal. She knows once Congress and the Left went out of Bengal, they never came back. Didi once you go, you will never come back again. TMC is going to lose,” said Modi. The fifth and sixth phases of the ongoing elections in West Bengal will take place on April 17 and April 22, respectively. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Tags: