ANALYSIS
Death toll in WB polls shows TMC can’t keep peace
It is no secret that West Bengal has a long and blood history of poll violence, and with the recent violence in the Panchayat polls — where 25 people have been reported dead — little seems to have changed.
A communally sensitive state, West Bengal has seen unprecedented levels of violence, used by major parties here, especially when in power. The Congress was not averse to attacking political opponents while it was in power till the late sixties and the Left Front continued this trend not, just against political opponents and not just during the polling time.
Nandigram was a key case in point. The situation doesn’t seem to have changed much under Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). Both the BJP and the CPI(M) have indicted the state government for violence in the recent polls with Prime Minister Modi even commenting that democracy had been ‘murdered’ for ‘narrow political interests’.
Indeed, the high death toll shows how hollow the promises of Mamata Banerjee really are. Mamata had been elected as CM on the promise of parivartan (change), but so far there seems to be rather little to differentiate her rule from that of the Left. It is not just the Chief Minister though.
Questions must be raised about the role of police authorities and the State Election Commission (SEC). Why were police authorities unable to stop TMC workers who jammed polling booths, and allegedly indulged in bogus voting.
Why were pleas before the Calcutta High Court, asking for Central forces before the polls ignored? The Centre has already asked for a report on the poll violence, but it is likely that the TMC will manage to block any demands for a proper inquiry. This will only ensure that violence and mayhem will continue unchecked in Bengal.
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