News Analysis India

Tag: Bengal elections

  • Bengal polls: NRC highlight of Didi’s campaign in remaining four phases

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday made it clear that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be an issue that she will use against BJP in the remaining four phases of Assembly elections in the state.

    It comes in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim in Kalimpong on Tuesday that there was no plan to implement NRC as of now.

    The hills of Bengal go to polls in the fifth phase and the huge Gorkha population of the region is apprehensive that NRC can go against them. Calling Shah’s assurance a lie, Mamata the cited the example of Assam, where people have been sent to detention camps over the issue of citizenship.

    “The moment election ended in Assam (earlier this month), the BJP government started issuing notices asking people, who were left out of the list of citizens, why they should not be evicted by implementing the NRC.

    Mamata Banerjee (picture left) meets relatives of those killed in CISF firingin West Bengal’s Sitalkuchi

    “They are issuing detention camp notices. Do not trust them. BJP should be ousted through NRC, NPR and only then, people will be able to stay in the country,’’ she said at a rally in Jalpaiguri.

    Mamata’s comments are aimed at refugee voters who migrated from Bangladesh in large numbers. S he also lashed out at BJP for “bringing outsiders” in the name of elections and spreading Covid-19 in West Bengal.

    A day earlier, Shah had said there was no plan to implement NRC in the region at the moment and even if it is, it would have no impact on Gorkhas.

    This community constitutes a considerable chunk of the electorate in the hills.

    Visiting kin of victims

    Mamata went to Sitalkuchi, after the Election Commission’s 72-hour ban barring political leaders from visiting Cooch Behar district ended. She met family members of the four persons killed in firing by CISF personnel on April 10.

    She also met relatives of a first-time voter, who was shot dead in a separate incident. BJP has claimed he was their supporter and killed by TMC workers.

    Without naming the Election Commission, which barred her from campaigning for 24 hours, Mamata said: “They did not allow me to visit Sitalkuchi for three days. I was not allowed to address rallies for 24 hours. The people of Bengal have witnessed this injustice to me and they will give a befitting reply to it in this election.’’

    The Trinamool Congress chief reiterated that after coming to power in West Bengal, her government will conduct a probe into the killing of the four persons and also the fifth person, who the BJP claims to be their supporter.

  • ‘PM Modi never talks about Trinamool-mukt Bharat’: Rahul attacks Didi and BJP

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Debuting his campaign in Bengal on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tore into TMC and BJP. Taking potshots at TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, he claimed the Congress has never compromised on its ideology to gain power but the state’s ruling party has a history of joining hands with the saffron camp. 

    “Has the Congress party ever compromised with the BJP? Has it ever allied with the BJP? No. But Mamataji has done so,” Rahul said, adding that for his party, the fight with the BJP is ideological, not just political. 

    “Their (BJP’s) ideology murdered our biggest leader Gandhiji. We will die but not back down against this ideology. But for Mamataji, it is just a political battle,” said Gandhi, while addressing a rally at Goalpokhar in North Dinajpur.

    He urged the electorates to vote for the Congress-Left Front-Indian Secular Front alliance as neither the BJP nor the TMC can be trusted.

    Referring to the TMC’s previous alliance with the BJP, the former Congress president said Prime Minister Narendra Modi often talked about a Congress-mukt Bharat but he never said TMC-mukt Bharat.

    “The TMC is fine for them (BJP),” he noted. 

    “Their (BJP’s) battle is with the Congress’s ideology. They know Rahul Gandhi will never back down. I am not scared of them. In fact, they are scared of Rahul Gandhi. This is a fight for the future of Bengal. To save Bengal, you have to stop BJP’s advent.”

    Hitting out at Mamata’s governance, Rahul alleged that it is the only state where the poor people have to pay ‘cut money’ to get jobs.

    Taking a jibe at the Khela Hobe (Game On) slogan coined by Mamata, he said: “You are talking about a game on the street. I am talking about a game (students’ politics) in university and college campuses which you will not allow,’’ said Rahul.

    Accusing the BJP of trying to divide Bengal, he said the saffron party wants to implement the same practice that they followed in Assam and Tamil Nadu.

    “I have come here not to give a political speech. I have come here to save Bengal’s future,’’ he said. 

  • BJP brought outsiders in Bengal for poll campaign, contributed to COVID surge: Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI
    JALPAIGURI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP has contributed to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the state by bringing “outsiders in large numbers” for campaigning during the ongoing assembly elections.

    Addressing a poll rally here, Banerjee also accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of not responding to the state’s plea to vaccinate a majority of people, which could have helped contain the spread of the disease.

    “They (BJP leaders) have brought outsiders for campaigning and contributed to the rise in COVID cases. We had managed to get hold of the COVID situation, they made it complicated,” she said at the public meeting.

    Speaking on the Election Commission’s decision to prohibit her from campaigning for 24 hours, she said, “Is it a fault to ask Hindus, Muslims and others to vote together? What about Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is mocking me at every election meeting? Why is he not banned from campaigning?” she asked.

    The Election Commission had barred Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours from Monday 8 pm for her remarks against the central forces and a statement that had alleged religious overtones.

    Accusing the prime minister and Amit Shah of peddling lies at poll rallies, the TMC supremo said, “The Centre has kept the NRC and the NPR bills alive, but the home minister had claimed at a meeting at Lebong in the hills that he had no plans to enforce the National Register of Citizens.”

    “Don’t trust them. If they come to power, you may face the same experience like the 14 lakh Bengalis in Assam (referring to the final NRC in the northeastern state). BJP is a dangerous party which is trying to divide Bengal,” she claimed.

  • Bengal elections: Gorkhaland demand takes back seat as GJM factions fight for political supremacy

    By PTI
    DARJEELING: With the two factions of the GJM one led by Bimal Gurung and the other by his former deputy Binay Tamang fighting for supremacy in the Darjeeling Hills, the imbroglio over Gorkhaland has taken a back seat this election, as key stakeholders pitch for development amid the COVID-19 crisis.

    Over the past three decades or more, the demand for a separate state of the Gorkhas and the implementation of the Constitution’s sixth schedule which provides for the creation of autonomous councils in certain tribal areas had been the two major poll planks of Hill parties.

    Gurungs return from hiding after a span of three years and his fight with Tamang for control over the region, however, have changed political equations.

    Add to that, the pandemic has crippled the tea and tourism sectors — the financial backbone of the Hills — and left many jobless, with voters in Darjeeling realising well that they need infrastructural development and employment opportunities more than anything else to stay afloat.

    The three assembly seats in the picturesque hills – Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong is up for a four-cornered contest this time, with the BJP and the Congress-Left-ISF alliance in the fray along with the TMC’s “two friends from the Hills” GJM factions led by Gurung and Tamang.

    The sparring entities have fielded candidates, who would be contesting as Independents from the seats.

    Sources in the TMC said senior leaders of the party are in a quandary over who should they support during campaigns or on the day of polling, as most of the activists seemed to have sided with Gurung.

    “Statehood is not an issue for us this assembly polls. We are more concerned about the development of the Hills, jobs, administrative overhaul. We have come up with a 52-point manifesto,” Tamang told PTI.

    Gurung, who returned to the hills last year and crossed over to the TMC from the BJP, maintained that Gorkhaland will always be the “most pertinent” issue for his outfit, while also clarifying that the overall development of the region is dominating the poll narrative this time.

    “The tea, timber and tourism industries have faced a major setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    People now want jobs, development and a better standard of living,” he said.

    The BJP, which has now emerged as a challenger to the supremacy of both the GJM factions, stressed that the party, if voted to power, will offer a “permanent political solution” in the region.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also allayed fears over NRC implementation, and asserted that Gorkhas and their identities would never be harmed.

    “We haven’t really said anything about statehood. The party, however, has plans to chalk out a permanent political solution for the Hills.

    Apart from development, especially in remote areas, generating jobs is also important,” BJP Darjeeling district president and GJM turncoat Kalyan Dewan said.

    Roshan Giri, the Gurung faction’s general secretary, claimed that the BJP was making “false promises”.

    “Since 2009, they had been making similar promises but nothing changed in the Hills. The TMC has promised a permanent political solution. We have full faith in Didi (Mamata Banerjee),” he told PTI.

    Asked if the fight between the two GJM factions will give the BJP an advantage, both the parties replied in the negative.

    “Binoy Tamang is not a factor in the hills. It’s ‘only Bimal’ that matters,” Gurung stated.

    Darjeeling, often referred to as the ‘Queen of the Hills’, draws thousands of tourists from across the globe every year.

    The place, also known for its world-class tea, is ethnically dominated by the Gorkhas.

    Lepchas, Sherpas, and Bhutias also make for a significant part of its population.

    Several tea gardens, however, have closed down owing to paucity of funds, and many workers went out of jobs.

    Also, the labourers had long been seeking a revision in daily wages.

    “We are fighting for the rights of tea garden workers and revival of the tourism sector. The TMC, GJM and the BJP are fooling the masses,” CPI(M) leader Ashok Bhattacharya said.

    Senior TMC leader in North Bengal and minister Gautam Deb feels the statehood demand has caused a lot of bloodshed in the Hills, and the region has not progressed well all these years.

    “People in Darjeeling have suffered enough over this separate statehood demand. But, it has not yielded any result. We would fight for the growth and betterment of the region,” he said.

    The demand for Gorkhaland was first made in the 1980s, with the Subhas Ghisingh-led GNLF launching a violent agitation in 1986, which dragged on for 43 days, resulting in the deaths of hundreds.

    The movement led to the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988, following the intervention of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu.

    The Council administered the Hills for 23 years with a certain degree of autonomy.

    In 2007, however, the statehood demand gained momentum again after the formation of the GJM, under Bimal Gurung’s leadership, who was once a trusted aide of Ghisingh.

    After the TMC took over the reins of Bengal in 2011 by ending the 34-year Left rule, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was formed with Gurung as its chief.

    But peace was short-lived in the region as Gurung, unhappy with the current state of affairs, rekindled the agitation in support of Gorkhaland in 2013, and engineered a 104-day-long strike in 2017, accusing the TMC government of trying to “wipe out” Gorkha identity.

    The three-month-long strike changed equations in the Hills and Gurung was forced to go into hiding as several cases, including some under UAPA, were slapped on him.

    The agitation led to a split in the GJM, with Binay Tamang, his deputy, emerging as the leader of one of the factions with the help of the TMC.

    Gurung, subsequently, joined hands with the BJP and helped it bag the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat for the third consecutive time in 2019 and also the assembly segment in a by-poll.

    In October last year, making a dramatic appearance in Kolkata, he quit the BJP-led NDA and aligned with the TMC, underscoring that the saffron party has “failed to find a sustainable solution” for the Hills.

    The Mamata Banerjee camp, which already enjoyed the Tamang faction’s support, welcomed Gurung in its fold, with her government going slow on the criminal cases filed against him.

    According to a GJM source, who did not wish to be named, the elections this time will actually be a test of strength for the two GJM factions.

    Polling for the three assembly seats in the Hills will be held on April 17.

  • NRC will not affect Gorkhas, Trinamool misleading them: Amit Shah

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  There is no plan to implement the NRC for now and it will have no impact on Gorkhas even if it is brought in the future, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday. Shah also assured that all cases registered against the Gorkhas during their movement demanding statehood would be withdrawn once the BJP comes to power in West Bengal.   

    At a rally in Kalimpong, Shah hit out at the Trinamool Congress for “creating fear’’ among the people of Darjeeling on the issue of the NRC by misleading them. “The TMC is misleading the people citing the NRC which has not been implemented yet. It is lying about the possible fallout of the NRC on the Gorkhas to create fear among them. There is no plan to implement the NRC now. Whenever it is done, not a single Gorkha will be asked to leave,’’ he assured the poll rally.

    The Congress-Communists-TMC combination did injustice to Gorkhas across the country for years, he asserted. “Gorkhas have a very rich history. Whenever the names of patriotic communities are taken, the names of Gorkhas are taken proudly.”

    The Communists had set the Darjeeling hills on fire in 1986 in which more than 1,200 Gorkhas were killed, he said. “Didi (Mamata) did nothing less. During her tenure, many people were killed and FIR lodged against thousands. Didi has withdrawn FIRs selectively. After the BJP-led government is formed in Bengal, all such FIRs will be withdrawn within a week,’’ he told the rally.

    Shah also promised to ensure the status of scheduled tribe to 11 Gorkha ethnic groups if the BJP is elected to power.  Apart from being the deciding factor in the three hill seats of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, the Gorkha community has a considerable presence in some of the seats in north Bengal’s Dooars. 

  • Bengal elections: EC imposed campaign ban on Mamata at BJP’s behest, says Sanjay Raut

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission’s decision to bar West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours was taken at the behest of the BJP.

    This was a “direct attack on democracy” and sovereignty of independent institutions of the country, Raut claimed, and asked why only Banerjee was punished when other parties also violated some or the other rules during the ongoing West Bengal election.

    Terming Banerjee as the “Bengal Tigress”, the Sena’s chief spokesperson expressed solidarity with her and claimed she will win the election in her state.

    The Shiv Sena, which is not contesting the West Bengal polls, has extended its support to Banerjee, who heads the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    The Election Commission (EC) on Monday barred Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours over her remarks against central forces and a statement which had alleged religious overtones.

    Reacting to it, Raut in a tweet said, “ECI has imposed a ban on Mamta didi for 24 hours.

    This is clearly done at the behest of BJP, ruling party in India.”

    “It is a direct attack on democracy and sovereignty of independent institutions of India. solidarity with Bengal Tigress, @MamataOfficial @derekobrienmp,” the Rajya Sabha member added.

    Banerjee sat on a dharna in Kolkata on Tuesday to protest against the poll panel’s “unconstitutional decision”.

    “Why Mamata didi is being punished alone by the EC when every political party is violating some or the other rules of the model code of conduct?” Raut later asked while talking to reporters.

    Leaders of a party from other states are going to West Bengal and making controversial statements, but there is no action against them, he said, without naming anyone.

    The ongoing West Bengal election is like a “new Mahabharat”, the Shiv Sena leader said.

    “Like the previous one (Mahabharat), nobody is following the code of warfare in this new Mahabharat as well. I believe Banerjee will win this election,” Raut said.

  • Gorkha problem to be fixed after BJP comes to power in Bengal: Amit Shah

    By PTI
    DARJEELING: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday gave assurance that a political solution to the long-drawn “Gorkha problem” in the Hills will be reached once the BJP forms government in West Bengal.

    Shah, during a public meeting here, said that the country’s Constitution is “vast” and has provisions for solving all problems.

    “I promise that a permanent political solution to the Gorkha problem will be reached by the double-engine government of the BJP — one at the Centre and the other in Bengal. You will not have to resort to agitations anymore,” he said.

    The Union minister, however, did not specify which problem he was referring to.

    Gorkhas had long been demanding a separate state, and several movements have been launched by the community over the years, the latest being in 2017.

    Contending that Gorkhas are the pride of India, Shah said that no one cause them any harm.

    “There is no plan to implement NRC for now. Even if the exercise is carried out, Gorkhas need not worry about it,” he asserted.

    Shah also said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has “put a full stop” on the development work in Darjeeling, a place that the ruling TMC leaders visit at leisure.

    Banerjee has visited Darjeeling numerous times in the recent past, but she did not hold any campaign for the three assembly seats in the region — set to go polls on April 17.

    The top BJP leader claimed that the TMC supremo tried to ruin the cordial relationship that the BJP shared with the Gorkhas by instituting criminal cases against “some”.

    “Didi has got many killed and instituted cases against many.

    The BJP, after coming to power, will give amnesty to all such people,” he said, without naming anyone.

    GJM leader Bimal Gurung, a former ally of BJP, had gone into hiding after several criminal charges were pressed against him for allegedly leading a violent statehood agitation in 2017.

    He resurfaced in October last year and joined hands with the TMC.

    The state administration has now approached the courts of law for withdrawing some of these cases.

    The ruling TMC has left the three Darjeeling constituencies to its allies from the Hills — the two GJM factions led by Gurung and Binay Tamang.

    Both the sparring factions have fielded candidates, who are constesting the elections from the three seats as Independents.

  • Triangular contest in Bengal; there is strong undercurrent against TMC, BJP: Congress’ Hariprasad

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A triangular contest is playing out in the West Bengal Assembly polls and the results will spring a surprise with a strong undercurrent against both the TMC and the BJP and in favour of the Left-Congress-ISF alliance, senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad said on Tuesday.

    Hariprasad, who is overseeing the Congress’ campaign management for the West Bengal polls as a senior observer, also dismissed claims that the party is not fighting the election with all its might, saying this was a “disinformation campaign of the Nagpur university” people, a reference to the RSS.

    In a telephonic interview with PTI, he said all Congress leaders, as well as workers, were on the ground in West Bengal and former party chief Rahul Gandhi would be campaigning in the upcoming phases of polls.

    His remarks come a day before Rahul Gandhi is expected to campaign for the West Bengal polls for the first time.

    Asked if the Congress would be willing to support the TMC after the polls if a situation arises that the two parties need to come together to stop the BJP from coming to power, Hariprasad dismissed it as a “hypothetical” question but added the elected MLAs and the Pradesh Congress Committee will recommend what they want and finally, the Congress president will decide.

    Asked about the electoral contest turning out to be a Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) versus the BJP contest, he said this was only a media perception created by the kind of resources the two parties had and their “marketing” tactics.

    “The Communists and the Congress, along with new entrant ISF, have a formidable (Samyukta Morcha) alliance and the people have realised that they made a mistake in 2016 (assembly polls) and 2019 (Lok Sabha polls). It is a triangular fight and fascinating results will be there,” he said, exuding confidence of a good showing by the Samyukta Morcha in the polls.

    Hariprasad, who has taken on additional responsibilities of AICC in-charge of the state after Jitin Prasada tested positive for COVID-19, said Bengal is altogether a different state with greater political awareness.

    Both the TMC and the BJP are “disturbed” and, therefore, have gone into a high voltage campaign while not talking about real issues, he alleged.

    “Why don’t PM (Narendra Modi) and (Home Minister) Amit Shah speak of the CAA, NRC and farmers issues.

    It is one month into the campaign and those issues have not been talked about.

    If they have the guts they should speak about that,” Hariprasad said.

    There is an undercurrent against the BJP and TMC as none of them came to the rescue of the poor and migrants, he claimed.

    Asked about Rahul Gandhi not campaigning in the state till now, Hariprasad said Gandhi was busy with other four assembly elections with the Congress contesting more seats in states like Kerala and Assam.

    “Here we are fighting in 92 seats. Another four phases are there and we will fight it out. Rahul ji is also coming. He will campaign (going forward),” he said.

    On reports that Abbas Siddiqui-led Indian Secular Front (ISF) expressing displeasure over the level of support from the Congress, Hariprasad asserted that there was wholehearted support from the Congress and the alliance was working unitedly.

    Asserting that a triangular fight between the Samyukta Morcha of the Left-Congress-ISF alliance, the TMC and the BJP was at play in West Bengal, he said a “surprise result” was in store for everyone, alluding to a strong performance by the Samyukta Morcha.

    Hitting out at the BJP over its campaign, the Congress leader alleged that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah had brought “disgrace” to their respective positions by the kind of language they have used in the polls.

    “Both TMC and BJP have gone so low in their campaign, it is unimaginable,” he added. Hariprasad said people have realised the mistakes made in the past and they will throw the TMC and the BJP out.

    He asserted that the West Bengal elections were about the “asmita (pride)” of the Bengalis.

    “It is the question of the asmita of Bengalis. Asmita of Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda, Bidhan Chandra Roy and M N Roy.

    These two people (Modi and Shah) are speaking against the Constitution. Bengalis are very intellectual and this fakelogy will not work,” he said.

    Hariprasad also said the AIMIM will also not be a factor in the polls.

    “It is a politically vibrant state and the people will give a befitting reply to those who have harassed them in the name of caste, religion and language,” he said.

    Elections for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal are being held in eight phases.

    The votes will be counted on May 2.

    As many as 45 Assembly segments will go to polls in the fifth phase which is scheduled for April 17.

  • EC bars BJP leader Rahul Sinha from campaigning for 48 hours, asks Dilip Ghosh to explain his ‘naughty boys’ remarks

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday barred BJP leader Rahul Sinha from campaigning for 48 hours for his alleged remarks that central forces should have killed eight rather than four people in Sitalkuchi in West Bengal, saying his remarks mocked human life and were highly provocative.

    The EC said he made “highly provocative statements mocking the human life, inciting the forces that could have serious law and order implications”.

    The Commission found his remarks violative of the model code and various provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the Indian Penal Code.

    The ban begins at 12 noon on Tuesday and will remain in force till 12 noon of April 15, the order said.

    The EC said it decided to issue the order without giving any notice to Sinha due to urgency of the matter.

    The poll panel took suo motu cognisance of Sinha’s remarks.

    “The central forces have given them a befitting answer. If they do it again they will be dealt again in a befitting manner. The central forces should have killed eight persons instead of four in Sitalkuchi. The central forces should be issued a show-cause notice as to why they have killed only four of them,” the order quoted the text of Sinha’s speech after the incident.

    “Commission hereby strongly condemns the above statements made by Rahul Sinha, BJP, and sternly warns him to be careful from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct is in force,” according to the order.

    Four men were killed at a booth in the Sitalkuchi assembly constituency in Cooch Behar during the fourth phase polling on April 10 as CISF personnel opened fire after coming under attack from locals who “attempted to snatch their rifles”.

    The poll body also issued a notice to West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh for his alleged remarks that there would be “Sitalkuchi in several places”.

    He has been asked to respond to the notice and make his stand clear on his remarks by Wednesday morning.

    The Trinamool Congress had approached the Commission against Ghosh.

    The notice cited Ghosh’s alleged remarks that “if someone crosses his limits then you have seen what happened in Sitalkuchi. There will be Sitalkuchi in several places.”

    The eight-phase assembly polls in West Bengal are being held between March 27 and April 29.

  • ‘EC must ensure level playing field’: Stalin supports Mamata, tells poll body to be neutral

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Supporting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday said the Election Commission must ensure a level playing field for all parties and maintain impartiality.

    As Banerjee began a dharna in Kolkata to protest against the poll panel’s decision barring her from campaigning for 24 hours, Stalin said ‘faith in our democracy rests on free and fair elections.’

    In a tweet, the DMK chief said the EC “must ensure a level playing field for all parties and candidates and ensure that impartiality and neutrality is maintained.# Mamata Banerjee.”

    After the EC on Monday barred Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours, her party claimed that the poll panel was behaving like a ‘wing of the BJP’ and alleged the decision smacked of authoritarianism.

    The poll panel’s order came after Banerjee’s remarks against central police forces and her statement, which allegedly had religious overtones.