Bengal panchayat polls: Governor’s strong statements on violence spark fresh slugfest

A fresh political slug fest has erupted in West Bengal over strong comments by Governor C.V Ananda Bose on the continuing violence in the state over the forthcoming polls for the three-tier panchayat system.

“As a Governor, it is my duty to ensure that the court orders in the panchayat election-related matters are honoured true to the spirit. It is not desirable that democracy is being slaughtered in the hands of the protectors of democracy. I am going to the fields and interacting with the people to have a feel of the field. We cannot and will not tolerate this anymore,” the Governor told media persons at Siliguri during his on-going north Bengal tour.

Taking a strong objection to the Governor’s statement,  party MLA Madan Mitra said that the Governor should book his return-ticket from West Bengal on July 11, when the results of the rural civic body polls will be announced and Trinamool Congress win with a thumping victory.

“It is unprecedented how the Governor is having meetings with the leaders of the opposition parties at the Raj Bhavan and indirectly instigating violence. The hooligans are being given shelter at the so- called ‘Peace Room’ within the Raj Bhavan premises. I advise him to better book his return ticket on July 11. You will have to leave Bengal on that day,” he said.

Trinamool Congress state spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that the Governor through his actions have proved that he is working beyond his constitutional authority. “The Governor will face protests with go-back slogans wherever he goes after the panchayat polls are over,” he said.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and the senior counsel of the Calcutta High Court Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya said that it has become a habit of Trinamool Congress leaders to resort to such distasteful comments.

“Sometimes they are attacking the courts and the judiciary and sometimes the Governor. At the same time, I would also like to say that there should not be an attempt by the Governor to run a parallel government,” Bhattacharya said.

Supporting the Governor’s observations that democracy should not be slaughtered in the hands of the protectors of democracy, the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said that the democracy in the state has already been slaughtered over the civic- body polls.

“This is because the office of the state election commissioner, instead of trying to ensure free and fair polls, is acting as the extended arms of the chief minister’s secretariat,” Adhikari said.