The BJP is trying to foment trouble in Bengal so as to attract Article 356 in the State, the ruling Trinamool Congress has said, adding, the saffron outfit’s nefarious designs to trigger social unrest in the State became more evident during the panchayat elections and a few months preceding it.
At least 23 people were killed and about 500 injured during the three-tier rural elections in the State.
“As is their wont the BJP has been trying to create trouble in Bengal by instigating social tension. This approached maximized during the panchayat elections when our Trinamool Congress lost most number of workers,” TMC general secretary Partho Chatterjee said, adding their designs were however thwarted by the people of this State.
“The BJP’s main motive is to get the central Government to clamp President’s Rule in Bengal so that they can easily grab power. But the politically conscious people of this State are aware and alert of their nefarious designs. They will thwart their plans in future as they have done during the panchayat elections.”
The TMC won uncontested about 90 percent Zilla Parishad constituencies, more than 80 percent Panchayat Samiti seats and about 70 percent gram panchayat seats in the three-tier elections in blood-smeared election that apparently broke all the past records of State oppression provoking a country-wide criticism as well as judicial reprimands. Bengal witnessed communal tensions in the weeks preceding the elections in several districts of the State leading the TMC to allege “BJP hand behind such charged up situations.”
Chatterjee who is also a senior minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet also attacked the CPI(M) and the Congress for surrendering to the saffron party making their cadres to work for the BJP.
“It is a shame that in Bengal which produced tall Marxist leaders like Jyoti Basu, Pramod Dasgupta and Muzaffar Ahmed, the CPI(M) is allowing its cadres to be sold out to the BJP just to eliminate the Trinamool Congress. But the people of this have seen through their designs and they will not allow them to succeed,” Chatterjee said adding “in spite of strengthening their own organization the left is trying to play second fiddle to the BJP which is why they have come down to the third position in the State.”
Attacking the Congress the Trinamool leader said the party had been reduced to “sign board” in the State “because of their faulty policy.”
In the Centre they bat for secularism but in Bengal they are holding the flags of the BJP which was a shame, he said adding the panchayat elections have exposed the CPI(M) and the Congress and more people would leave them.
The BJP had done exceptionally well in the Jangalmahal districts of Purulia and Jhargram dominated by tribal and Kurmi voters.