Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Urges Mamata Banerjee to Halt Intimidation of Opposition Candidates
West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has penned a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urgently appealing for her intervention to put a stop to the alarming instances of intimidation and abduction of elected Opposition candidates ahead of the formation of the three-tier panchayat boards in the state.
In his letter, Chowdhury highlighted the disturbing trend where Congress candidates who emerged victorious in the panchayat polls are facing threats from a combination of police, political leaders, and goons. These threats involve slapping murder and other severe charges on these candidates, pushing them to a corner where they feel compelled to secure their lives by surrendering and accepting membership of the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal.Chowdhury, a Congress MP, strongly appealed to Banerjee to refrain from deploying police and goons to terrorize and coerce candidates and supporters of other parties. He underscored that such tactics only aim to perpetuate the dominance of the Trinamool Congress and called for a more civilized approach to democratic processes.
Expressing concern, Chowdhury pointed out the insatiable quest for power and personal gain among Trinamool Congress activists. He emphasized that this thirst for power is gradually giving rise to the notion of monocratic rule in the state. He questioned the ethicality of securing electoral victories through such tactics and posed this question directly to Banerjee.He further urged the Chief Minister to take personal interest in the matter and address the escalating instances of intimidation and abduction of Opposition candidates, thereby ensuring the sanctity of the democratic process in West Bengal.
The Calcutta High Court has also taken cognizance of the situation. In a recent development, Justice Jay Sengupta, of the Calcutta High Court, has issued a directive to the Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad, to furnish a report regarding the alleged abduction of three candidates from Opposition parties at a gram panchayat in Nowda, located in the district. The officer has been instructed to submit the report by August 10.
Additionally, in another district, South 24 Parganas, Opposition candidates from Mathurapur have sought legal recourse. They approached the High Court seeking security measures before the formation of the panchayat board. These candidates allege that on July 27, four individuals from a gram panchayat in Mathurapur were forcibly abducted in Kolkata and were later released, only to be returned to their residences.The appeals made to the Chief Minister and the involvement of the judiciary highlight the growing concerns over the use of intimidation and abduction as tools to sway the electoral landscape in West Bengal.
News Mania Desk / Agnibeena Ghosh 9th August 2023
