BJP slams Mamata Banerjee over refusal to resign
The BJP on Tuesday termed outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to resign after her party TMC’s defeat in the Assembly polls as “constitutional blasphemy” and accused her of undermining the concept of peaceful transfer of power.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata a day after the BJP stormed to power in the State, Banerjee alleged large-scale irregularities in the counting process, claiming that the mandate in nearly 100 seats “was looted” and that counting was deliberately slowed down to demoralise her party.
“The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy. I did not lose; I will not go to Lok Bhavan. They can take action as per constitutional norms,” she told reporters.
Hitting back, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a social media post, alleged that Banerjee is suggesting “short-circuiting” the constitutional system through violence, drawing a comparison with the United States Capitol attack of January 6, 2021.
“What Mamata Banerjee is suggesting is anti-Constitution, anti-Ambedkar and amounts to constitutional blasphemy, apart from being a post-poll tantrum. She wants to overturn the concept of peaceful transfer of power, which is a hallmark of our constitutional system,” he said. In a video post, Poonawalla accused Banerjee of playing the “victim card” after electoral defeat and blaming the Election Commission of India instead of accepting the people’s mandate.
“Mamata Banerjee is now playing the most disgusting victim card by not only disrespecting the verdict of the people but also saying she will not resign,” Poonawalla said.
“Even if she does not resign, the Assembly will dissolve on May 8, and she will anyway lose her membership. It only shows that she is acting against the Constitution, as peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy,” he said.
Referring to past instances, he alleged that Banerjee has undermined constitutional principles earlier as well by opposing the implementation of central laws such as the Waqf Act and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and by questioning the electoral process.
He also cited alleged incidents of post-poll violence in 2021 and the intimidation of judicial officials in recent months, claiming that law and order were compromised and that such actions contradict her claims of upholding constitutional values.
Poonawalla further said it will be “interesting” to see the response of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he accused of remaining silent on “anti-constitutional actions”. “He should refrain from supporting or legitimising such actions, as it would reflect his own participation in this blasphemy of the Constitution,” he added.
