Relentless violence continued in panchayat poll-bound Bengal with most Opposition parties including the BJP, Left and the Congress accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of preventing their candidates from filing nominations.
Till Sunday evening one person had died and at least 50 others injured — including one seriously at Dinhata in Coochbehar district of North
Bengal — in sporadic violence over filing of nomination forms.
Things reached such a pass that the supporters of BJP and Trinamool Congress clashed at Thakurnagar the spiritual headquarters of the Matua community moments before TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was to visit the area in North 24 Parganas. Banerjee who was to address a rally at nearby Gaighata was welcomed with “go back” slogan raised allegedly by the supporters of junior Union Minister Shantanu Thakur himself a Matua and scion of the now deceased Matua religious head Baro Maa.
Matuas are a scheduled caste community — following the preaching of Guruchand Harichand Thakur — and migrated from Bangladesh in large numbers both during Independence and during the Bangladesh war.
The BJP and the TMC have been engaged in a fierce dogfight for winning over the allegiance of the community that boasts of about 80 lakh people influencing the voting pattern of 6-8 parliamentary constituencies and about 50 Assembly seats of the State. Banerjee, who was prevented from entering the Thakurnagar temple and could only do so with the help of the police, later attacked the BJP for dividing the people along religious lines.
“The BJP’s fall is imminent as their efforts to divide the people on the basis of religion will boomerang … They are dividing the Matua community … they are inciting violence … they passed the CAA Bill but are yet to make rules on that and are still trying to milk that issue … but they will miserably fail to do so,” Banerjee said.
Reports of violence also came from Murshidabad, Birbhum, East Midnapore, East Burdwan, Coochbehar, and other places, sources said. A mob entered a Block Development Office at Bhangar, in South 24 Parganas district and assaulted Bidyut Ghosh an employee allegedly for distributing nomination forms to opposition candidates, while a local Trinamool Congress leader was caught with a handgun in Murshidabad district.
The TMC, however, trashed the charges saying the nomination filing process was by and large incident free and the opposition was making false charges as they are sure about the imminent loss in the panchayat polls having very little support base among the rural populace.
“Just because the BJP and CPI(M) do not have enough number of candidates they are creating trouble to mislead the people and offer an excuse for losing the elections.
In 2018 there had been a massive violence in the panchayat elections which not only saw more than a hundred deaths but also led the ruling TMC to win about 34 percent of seats uncontested. However, in the wake of multiple scams and unearthing of currency of notes from the TMC leaders’ houses the TMC was facing stiff challenge from the Opposition parties which had been resisting the ruling party onslaught in equal measures.
Apprehending massive bloodshed the opposition parties have not only demanded deployment of central forces but also asked for extension of the timing of filing nominations.
Approaching the High Court seeking the BJP had said that each candidate has been given a time of little less than a minute to file nomination which was not practicable. The matter is likely to be heard this week.
With the Panchayat elections for about 62,000 seats scheduled to be held on July 8 there are only about 72,000 police men to man the polls.