Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said the situation in West Bengal under Trinamul Congress (TMC) regime is befit for…
Somnath Chatterjee
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said the situation in West Bengal under Trinamul Congress (TMC) regime is befit for invoking Article 356 and imposing President’s Rule as neither State Election Commission (SEC) nor the police is being allowed to function while the media is being gagged.
“There is no democratic environment in the state. Opposition candidates were unable to file nomination papers. Once election was held like a festival. Every political party took part in the political campaign following election. What is currently happening before panchayat election is very painful,” said former CPI-M MP.
Expressing concern over attack on Opposition candidates, Mr Chatterjee said that filing nomination papers for election is a fundamental right, which presently is only in black and white while in reality people are prevented from filing nomination papers. “People are openly being deprived of their rights.
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Opposition candidates were not allowed to file their nominations. People were prevented from forming queue to cast their vote. People are fleeing away from rural areas following attack on them during filing of nomination papers,” he said.
He also welcomed the Opposition parties’ move to file court cases to establish their rights of filing nomination papers. “Court must restore this right,” he said.
He also criticised the state government and said both SEC and police became a puppet of the ruling party. “SEC is not able to exercise its power to allow Opposition political parties to take part in the election process freely.
Mr Chatterjee demanded that the murderers of Dilder Sheik, who was killed on the last day of submission of nomination papers, be arrested. “Political parties are fighting each other to establish the political identity of the deceased. Real killer of Dilder Sheik must be arrested,” he said.
Mr Chatterjee also appealed chief minister Mamata Banerjee to run the administration properly to restore democratic environment.
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