Kolkata, March 31 – The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) submitted a complaint to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday, accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of inciting, intimidating, making threats, and delivering inflammatory speeches during her election campaigns. This violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in force in the state.
In a joint letter to the CEO, the BJP's state president, party's Lok Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, claimed that these inflammatory speeches by the Chief Minister pose a serious threat to the integrity of the ongoing electoral process, violating the MCC, electoral, and criminal laws.
The BJP stated that the Chief Minister's speeches clearly indicated that her sole aim was to instill fear and coerce voters, which is a threat to free, fair, and peaceful elections.
Subsequently, the BJP provided a detailed list of such speeches allegedly made by the Chief Minister during her campaign rallies in various areas of West Bengal.
"It is due to these public threats by the Chief Minister that the State Police force has become mere passive spectators, resulting in perpetrators being emboldened to carry out violence. It is important to note that similar speeches were made by her during the previous Assembly elections in 2021, which led to pre- and post-election violence and unrest throughout West Bengal. In just 45 days, more than 55 of our workers were killed," the letter to the CEO stated.
The letter also urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate cognizance of the statements and incidents, initiate appropriate proceedings under the MCC, and direct the initiation of appropriate and firm legal proceedings under the Representation of People Act, 1951, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including filing an FIR.
The BJP also requested the ECI to consider banning the Chief Minister from participating in election campaign rallies.
"Since the local police are complicit and therefore ineffective, ensure enhanced deployment of central forces in sensitive and vulnerable areas and deploy more IAS and IPS officers, from outside West Bengal, as ECI observers to ensure that the state administration and police act impartially and decisively against all acts of violence or intimidation," the letter read.