No place for dictatorship in democracy, says Ritabrata Banerjee after EC order

West Bengal leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Friday said there was “no place for dictatorship” in a democracy as he responded to the Election Commission’s interim decision to freeze the Trinamool Congress name and election symbol.

Banerjee argued that the order demonstrated that a political party could not be treated as a privately owned entity or passed down through dynastic succession.

He said party leaders learnt about the EC’s decision shortly after completing a flight.

“Just after getting off the plane, we found out that the symbol has been frozen, and the name has been frozen. However, one thing is clear: within a democracy, there is no place for dictatorship,” Banerjee said.

He linked the interim order to the wider dispute over the leadership and control of the Trinamool Congress, maintaining that no individual could claim a political organisation as a family possession.

“This narrative that was going on regarding the symbol and the name, the Election Commission’s interim order today proves that there is no room for dynastic politics. A political party is not a private limited company, nor can there be an heir to a political party. This has been proven today,” he said.

His remarks came after the poll panel temporarily barred both rival factions from using the All India Trinamool Congress name and its reserved election symbol while their competing claims are examined.

The EC concluded that the party had two rival groups, one led by Mamata Banerjee and the other by Arup Roy, with both claiming to represent the recognised political organisation.

“On due consideration of the totality of information available on record…the Commission is of the opinion that there are two rival groups in the All India Trinamool Congress, one led by Ms Mamata Banerjee and the other led by Shri Arup Roy, and each group is now claiming to be the party and therefore the matter requires a substantive determination by the Commission under Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order 1968,” the order said.

The freeze will have immediate consequences for the 6 October Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar. Both factions will have to contest under alternative names and symbols until the commission delivers its final determination in the dispute.

With IANS inputs