Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) As a commotion broke out between the Trinamool Congress-aligned Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers outside the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office on Tuesday, over an alleged attempt to submit Form-6, both the sides hurled accusations at each other.
While the BJP accused the West Bengal Police of siding with the Trinamool members, the latter accused the BJP of including outsiders in the state’s voter list and forming a “nexus with the Election Commission”.
The state is scheduled to vote in next month’s two-phased Assembly election.
Kushal Panday, a BJP worker, told IANS, “Just like them (Trinamool members) we were also sitting on a ‘dharna’ here. Trinamool Congress members opened cane charge on us and the police is stopping us. They (Trinamool members) have been given a free hand by the state police. We will also reply in the same way today. We have suffered enough.”
Kali Karthick, another BJP worker, also reiterated the allegation that police is shielding Trinamool Congress workers and supporters.
“Police are only asking us to move away, not the Trinamool workers,” he said.
Karthick added that rules are meant for everybody, saying: “Does the police want to show us weak? We will not step back an inch.”
He also alleged and said: “It is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s police.”
The Trinamool Congress, in turn, accused the BJP of “murdering democracy” by attempting to add people from outside West Bengal into the state’s voters’ list.
Sachin Singh, a Trinamool Congress Councillor, said, “What BJP is doing along with the Election Commission, is murder of the Constitution. Earlier names were being removed (from voter lists) through Form-7, now people from outside the state are being added (to the list) using Form-6. This is the murder of democracy.”
“This unacceptable by the people of West Bengal and the Trinamool Congress. Election Commission will have to answer on this,” he added.
He denied the BJP’s allegations that the Trinamool Congress members began a tussle.
“They (BJP) want politics of hooliganism. West Bengal functions on (the ideals) of Rabindranath Tagore. They are deleting names (from voter lists) from the Muslim Majority areas, like from my ward, Rajabajar, 50 names have been deleted from each part. This is not acceptable in a democracy. This nexus between the Election Commission and the BJP will not be accepted by the people of West Bengal,” he said.
Kolkata Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division), Yeilwad Shrikant Jagannathrao, emphasised that everyone will have to maintain law and order.
“Everyone has the right to protest and so they are protesting. I will not allow anyone to break the peace. Law and order was never out of my hands, and it will not be, and I will not let anyone to break it,” he told reporters.
The police reportedly had to use force to restrain both political parties, who have began a protest outside the State CEO office.
–IANS
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