The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Madan Mitra expressed his concern over the Calcutta High Court verdict that mandates the State Election Commission to request the Centre for central armed forces for the forthcoming Panchayat elections scheduled on July 8. The TMC leader highlighted that the state of West Bengal is not getting funds for the development of the state, but thousands of crores of rupees are being spent on central armed forces. The Centre is providing financial assistance to the state for the Panchayat polls, and Madan Mitra anticipates that a considerable amount of the funds will be utilized for funding Central paramilitary forces.
The Calcutta High Court has imposed this order after the state has seen violent incidents during the nomination process. Addressing reporters, Madan Mitra said that everyone needs to accept this decision, and TMC is ready to fight back. He exuded confidence in his party winning the Panchayat polls. The minority leader expressed his loyalty to his party and leader Mamata Banerjee and said, “We will give our blood, we are ready to give ‘qurbaani’ but we will fight back. We will face the central forces, but we will prove that TMC will win and if we have to give our lives, we are ready to face the torture of Central forces.”
The ruling party responded positively to the Calcutta High Court order as it would end political violence in Bengal and restore democracy. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that the Panchayat polls would now conduct in a democratic and peaceful manner, and it’s a good judgement. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has warned that “effective and corrective” action will be taken against those responsible for the violence in the State. No words, only action. Wait and watch. You will see effective action, concrete action. That is all I can say now, he said in response to the violent incidents.
The Panchayat polls are crucial for the state of West Bengal, and the central forces could significantly impact the outcome of the polls. The recent verdict has upped the stakes in the political battleground of West Bengal. The voting will be held in over 58,000 seats across 341 local bodies in the state. The ban on rallies or gathering of more than 500 people has already been enforced by the State Election Commission due to the pandemic.
