Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday criticised the detention of party leaders by Delhi Police during their peaceful protest outside the Election Commission’s office, denouncing it as a “black day in democracy.”
Banerjee, who led an 11-member TMC delegation to Raj Bhavan including senior leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Bratya Basu and Sashi Panja, told reporters after meeting Governor C V Ananda Bose that the EC’s role in the entire incident was “unfortunate and deplorable”. Banerjee said the commission cannot evade responsibility for the unjust treatment of Bengal’s representatives.
“What happened in Delhi is a black day in democracy. None of our leaders, many of them MPs or former MPs, was carrying arms. Yet they were bodily lifted during the peaceful protest and bundled into waiting vehicles by Delhi Police. The poll panel cannot absolve its responsibility in the incident,” he told waiting reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
The delegation pressed upon the governor to step in and urge the Election Commission to address the treatment meted out to TMC leaders and to investigate the alleged collusion between the BJP and central agencies such as the NIA and ED.
The delegation emphasised to the governor that while they appreciate his commitment to upholding the Constitution and ensuring peaceful voting by hitting the streets during polling days, as the custodian of the Constitution, shouldn’t he urge the EC to address the TMC’s complaint about the removal of the ED and NIA directors, whose alleged links with the BJP have now come under scrutiny, he added.
The delegation pointed out that they had provided indisputable evidence to the EC about an NIA official meeting a BJP leader after the announcement of the poll dates.
“In contrast, the EC immediately transferred several officials including the DG of the state after announcement of poll dates. So the EC is overactive in West Bengal but looks the other way when it comes to central agency officials despite getting complaints,” he said. Banerjee said the governor promised to inform the TMC about the response of the EC after mailing the complaints of the ruling party of West Bengal to the poll panel.
TMC leaders were detained by the Delhi Police while they were holding a dharna outside the Election Commission’s office, demanding that the chiefs of CBI, NIA, ED and Income Tax Department be changed. The delegation announced the dharna after meeting the full bench of the EC.
The delegation urged the commission to ensure a level playing field in the Lok Sabha polls and stop the “misuse” of the central agencies against opposition parties and leaders, TMC Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose, who was among the leaders who met the poll panel, said.
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