Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna Tuesday in the heart of the city. Mamata Banerjee was protesting against the Election Commission’s (EC) ‘unconstitutional’ decision to ban her from campaigning for 24 hours.
In an appeasing move somewhat, the EC also barred local BJP leader Rahul Sinha for 48 hours from campaigning. It also issued show-cause notice to BJP MP and West Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh for his comments at an election rally. The EC also said that it is not satisfied with the reply given by BJP leader and candidate from Nandigram Assembly constituency, Suvendu Adhikari over his reply to the show-cause notice issued to him earlier.
Banerjee is still confined to a wheelchair owing to the injuries she sustained last month. She arrived at Mayo road here around 11.40am and began her sit-in next to a Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at the venue. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Army. It is not known whether the TMC had taken permission for her to sit on dharna. No TMC leaders or supporters were spotted nearby.
A senior TMC leader, when approached, said, “No party leaders are allowed near the site of the protest. She is sitting there alone.”
The EC has barred Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours from Monday 8.00pm. It is for her remarks against central forces and a statement which had alleged religious overtones.
Banerjee had lashed out Monday at the poll panel. She had said on Twitter that she would hold a protest against the poll panel’s ‘unconstitutional and undemocratic’ decision.
The TMC boss is scheduled to address two rallies after 8.00pm Tuesday – one at Barasat and the other at Bidhanangar.
Also read: EC bars Mamata Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours
Meanwhile, a defence official here said that the area where Banerjee is staging a protest belongs to the Army. He said the TMC was yet to receive permission for the programme.
“Just to keep everyone informed, we have received an application from the TMC for a no-objection certificate at 9.40 am today. It is still under process,” the defence spokesperson said.
Meanwhile the EC issued a notice to Ghosh for his alleged remarks that there would be ‘Sitalkuchi in several places’. His comments came after four people were killed when central forces opened fire during polling in Cooch Behar district. He has been asked to respond to the notice and make his stand clear on his remarks by Wednesday morning. The TMC had approached the Commission against Ghosh.
The notice cited Ghosh’s alleged remarks that ‘if someone crosses his limits then you have seen what happened in Sitalkuchi. There will be Sitalkuchi in several places’.
In another development, the EC barred BJP leader Sinha from campaigning for 48 hours. Sinha had allegedly said that central forces should have killed eight rather than four people in Sitalkuchi. The EC said Sinha’s remarks mocked human life and were highly provocative. However, barring of Sinha would not bother BJP much when they have high profile leaders like Amit Shah, JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigning non-stop.
The EC said Sinha made ‘highly provocative statements mocking the human life’. It said ‘inciting the forces that could have serious law and order implications’.
The Commission found his remarks violative of the model code and various provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the Indian Penal Code.
The ban begins at 12.00noon Tuesday and will remain in force till 12.00noon of April 15, the order said.
The EC said it decided to issue the order without giving any notice to Sinha due to urgency of the matter.
The poll panel took suo motu cognisance of Sinha’s remarks.
“The central forces have given them a befitting answer. If they do it again they will be dealt again in a befitting manner. The central forces should have killed eight persons instead of four in Sitalkuchi. The central forces should be issued a show-cause notice as to why they have killed only four of them,” the order quoted the text of Sinha’s speech after the incident.
Four men were killed at a booth in the Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar during the fourth phase polling April 10. CISF personnel opened fire after coming under attack from locals who ‘attempted to snatch their rifles’.