The Trinamool Congress has scoffed at the BJP for demanding the imposition of Manipur-like disturbed area laws in the State saying, in the wake of “humiliating defeats one after the other” the saffron party was “betraying all the signs of madness.”
“Suvendu Adhikari is asking for imposition of Disturbed Areas Act in Bengal … let them do so and see the consequence … they will lose whatever trifle seat they have won in the recent elections … the demand itself shows that they are a decaying force and very soon they will change into a signboard,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said adding, “Suvendu is making such demands in order to maintain his credibility before his bosses in Delhi… it clearly showsthat he is short in confidence after the resounding defeat… he cannot digest the electoral loss.”
Consequent to the ongoing post-poll political violence, massive rigging in the recently concluded by-elections and a general drop in the law and order situation of the State Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari earlier demanded the imposition of “disturbed areas” laws in theregion.
“The way our people were stopped from voting in the by-elections … the way the booths were looted … and the way the police stood a silent spectator … it clearly showed that there is no law and order in Bengal … the way our workers are being attacked everyday it is clear that there is no rule of law here … I will not demand President’s Rule in the State … instead of that we will want that Bengal be declared a disturbed area much like Manipur … that is the only way to control the law and order situation,” Adhikari said.
“We will observe July 21 as ‘Ganatantra Hatya Divas’. Millions of people could not vote … only a particular community was allowed to vote and others were restrained from going to the booths … we will organize mass movements taking along the people who could not vote,” he said alleging how “in the by-polls, nearly 50,000 people in Raiganj could not vote” and how 70,000 people in Ranaghat and 10,000 people at Bagda” constituencies were prevented from voting ... they have murdered the democracy at the behest of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee … this iswhy we are asking for Disturbed Areas Act to be imposed in Bengal much the way it is in Manipur.”
Announcing a series of programmes to counter the hype around the July 21 Trinamool Congress Martyrs’ Day, Adhikari said “we will observe the day as Ganatantra Hatya Diwas (Murder of Democracy Day).
The TMC observes July 21 as its Martyrs’ Day because it was on this day that several party workers were killed in a police firing at Esplanade in Kolkata more than three decades ago.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, then the State Youth Congress president, was on this day leading thousands of people — in an anti-infiltration march — towards the iconic Writers’ Buildings insupport of her demands for voter identity cards for the citizens complaining.
