Trinamool, BJP exchange barbs day before court hears Bengal panchayat poll case

Leaders of Trinamool Congress and BJP targeted each other on Sunday, the Bengali new year, despite the stay on panchayat polls in the state.

State BJP president, Dilip Ghosh called for retaliation to the attacks on party candidates allegedly by Trinamool workers during nomination filing, and did not spare even Trinamool leaders.

“Previously I have called for beating up the goons who are creating violence over rural pools. Now I am asking all to beat up the leaders of these goons,” Ghosh said.

Reacting to Ghosh, West Bengal consumer affairs minister and Trinamool leader, Sadhan Pande said Ghosh has lost his mental balance as is evident from his statements. “No person with proper mental condition can make such statements,” Pande said.

The bitter war of words comes after a single-judge bench of Calcutta high court stayed the three-tier panchayat polls after the state election commission’s flip flop on nominations — on the last date of filing nominations, it extended by one day the nomination process, but withdrew the order the next day citing legalities.

On Monday, West Bengal election commission is scheduled to submit a report to the single-judge bench of justice Subrata Talukdar on the steps taken by it to ensure free and fair polls.

A division bench of Calcutta high court, comprising justices Biswanath Samaddar and Arindam Mukherjee, will also hear a case in this regard on the same day.

While BJP leaders are almost sure that election dates will be postponed, with a fresh round of nominations, Trinamool leaders exuded confidennce of a landslide victory irrespective of the court order.

Union minister Babul Supriyo, who is a BJP MP from Asansol, said that BJP’s allegations about “violence unleashed by Trinamool” during the nomination phase has been authenticated by the court.

“It is a fact that our candidates could not file their nominations, and now after the court order, Trinamool is on the back foot,” he said.

Pande said that to whichever extent BJP goes to jeopardise the poll process, ultimately people will be with the Trinamool Congress only.

Meanwhile, in the districts, candidates took the opportunity to connect with people on the occasion of Bengali New Year Day although as per the court order campaigning officially is not permissible till Monday.

Trinamool candidate for a zila parishad seat in Sabang area of West Midnapore district said although he did not campaign respecting the court order, he interacted with the people of his locality exchange New Year greetings.

“I visited some localities in Sabang area in the morning and some other localities in the afternoon. It was nothing but exchange of greetings and sweets,” he said.

Similar was Sunday’s routine for CPI(M) candidate for same zila parishad seat, Rita Jana, who visited several houses in the area exchanging greetings.

Congress’s zila parishad candidate in Murshidabad district, Humayun Kabir said that although in other years he preferred spending the day with the family, this year he moved around from house to house greeting people. “At the same time there is a possibility that there might fresh round of nominations and hence I interacted with my party workers also,” Kabir said.

Trinamool zila parishad candidate, Rubiya Sultana also met people of her locality exchanging sweets and greetings. “We do not need to campaign separately on the New Year’s day. Trinamool is with the people throughout the year and the people are there with the Trinamool,” she said.