Election in West Bengal is due in a month's time.
Leaders of Left parties on Wednesday knocked the doors of Election Commission, demanding action against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her reported "veiled threat" to the opposition that "the state government will be in charge when central forces leave after Assembly polls".
During the meeting, the delegation also took up the issue of "blatant misuse" of a state programme by Banerjee-led TMC to offer grants to different clubs allegedly for electoral work. The leaders also drew EC's attention towards alleged recovery of arms from a Murshidabad factory, which they claimed were being manufactured for use during elections. "The Chief Minister issued a veiled threat that the central forces will remain in Bengal until the elections are there, but after that what? This clearly means it is a threat.
"So, we said, if you want free and fair elections, Election Commission must take cognisance of this reality and take necessary action," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said after the meeting. The delegation submitted to EC a CD of Banerjee's March 4 interview to a private television channel in which she had allegedly issued the threat, he added.
'Misusing state program'
Accusing TMC of misusing state programme meant for clubs, the delegation told EC that senior TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya had allegedly asked officials of a Kolkata club, which had receive grants, to ensure "stupendous" victory of his party. "The way money is being paid to clubs...we suspect the clubs will be used during polls as launch pads to do their (TMC's) work. We have asked the EC to ascertain exact memberships and nature of the clubs and basis on which they have received state patronisation," Yechury said.
Pointing to an incident in which two persons were killed while manufacturing bombs at an arms' factory at Murshidabad, the delegation claimed the deceased were TMC workers and arms were being manufactured to be used during polls. The arms recovered from the site are "very dangerous" and were being produced to be used during election, Yechury said.
"We have told EC that this is a very serious assault on the free and fair elections commitment that Election Commission has to discharge," he said. Besides Yechury, the delegation comprised CPI national secretary D Raja, Nilotpal Basu of CPI(M) and among others. The delegation also submitted to the EC a memorandum which was also signed by AIFB general secretary Debabrata Biswas and RSP secretary Abani Roy.
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 "Sitaram Yechury")
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